Wayne Rooney has fired back at Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk after being slammed for "lazy" criticism.
Van Dijk took a swipe at the Manchester United legend following Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa at the weekend, in response to his and Mohamed Salah’s leadership this season being questioned.
Rooney, now a pundit, highlighted concerns over the pair’s body language amid a run of six defeats in seven games for the Reds - including four consecutive defeats in the Premier League before the Villa game.
Despite being accused of “lazy" criticism by Van Dijk, Rooney insists he still has respect for the Liverpool defender.
Although, the ex-Man Utd and Everton is standing by his comments that the Dutchman is not having a good season judging by the standard he has set in previous years.
"Van Dijk, similar to Mo Salah, over the last five years, he's been one of if not the best defender in the world, and last year it was hard to say anything bad because he was that good,” Rooney said on his BBC podcast.
“I'm sure he'd come out and say he probably hasn't been as best this season if he's honest with himself, and as captain, your job if things aren't going right is to speak to your teammates, call meetings with your teammates.
“And that's really what I was saying as a captain, as a leader, I'm sure he will have been doing that.
“I've got full respect for Virgil van Dijk, I think he's a fantastic player. My job now as a pundit is to give my opinions on what I feel.
“I'm sure if you ask him or you ask Arne Slot, he probably hasn't been as good as he has been over the last few years and that was my comment.”
