Virgil van Dijk is determined to block out the doubters as he continues to recover from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The Liverpool centre-half spent the majority of last season out injured having hobbled off in the Merseyside derby.
Ligament damage kept him out for nine months but has since returned to the heart of the Reds' defence.
Prior to his injury Van Dijk was hailed by most as the best centre-half on the planet, having been instrumental in Liverpool's recent successes.
Now he is attempting to prove that his period out of the game hasn't seen his powers dwindle.
Liverpool's defence has kept eight clean sheets in 14 Premier League games, but conceded two or more on four occasions this season.
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Van Dijk claims the contrast between praise and criticism is "a big thing" but is determined to shut it out ahead of his first return to Goodison Park since the injury.
"Rhythm is important and mentally it is a big thing as well," he said.
"I've noticed that if I do things well, everyone says 'he doesn't look like he missed a whole year'.
"But when I make one or two mistakes - and mistakes happen - then it is said 'you can see he's coming back from injury' or 'he can't do it anymore'.
"These sort of things are mentally a big thing. Luckily I'm strong mentally and I'm not paying any attention to all of that.
"The most important thing is you know when you do things well and with the help of the manager and my team-mates I feel that I'm progressing in each game. That's the only thing I can do."
Van Dijk's absence was a crucial factor in Liverpool relinquishing their title last term
They finished third behind both Manchester clubs as they battled a host of injuries, many of which saw their defensive options hampered
Thiago, a summer signing back in 2020, was also forced off in last year's Merseyside derby and Jurgen Klopp admits those experiences will be hard to shake ahead of Wednesday night's game with Everton.
He said: "We are human beings so it is probably difficult to forget and ignore something like that of course - it is a situation which should not happen in football," he said of long term injuries to both players.
"But the situation was a situation that can always happen in football. It should have been dealt with differently, but that’s not important any more. We have to accept it can happen, and deal with these things."
