Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has fired back at Wayne Rooney, labelling his criticism as 'lazy'. Following Liverpool's 3-2 loss to Brentford, the Manchester United legend criticised Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah for their lack of leadership this season, linking it to their hefty contracts. Rooney stated: "This is a time when the manager and the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly. Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they've signed new deals but I don't think they have really led the team this season."

However, after Salah netted his 250th goal for Liverpool and Van Dijk played a crucial role in securing a clean sheet in a 2-0 win against Aston Villa at Anfield, the Dutch defender hit back at Rooney. "I didn't hear him last year," Van Dijk retorted. "He's obviously a legend, a big player of the game, inspired so many, I can say all the only positive things. But I feel that comment is just, I would say, a bit of a lazy criticism."

Van Dijk's response was particularly sharp, especially considering Rooney had previously labelled him as 'lazy' when...