Wayne Rooney criticises Virgil van Dijk again as Liverpool defender row reignited

Wayne Rooney has delivered fresh criticism of Virgil van Dijk's Liverpool performances on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, reigniting their ongoing disagreement over punditry standards

Wayne Rooney questioned Virgil van Dijk again(Image: No Tippy Tappy Football/YouTube)

Wayne Rooney has once again taken aim at Virgil van Dijk, maintaining that the defender's displays have contributed to Liverpool's underwhelming title defense.

In November, the pair were involved in an awkward on-air confrontation following Liverpool's Champions League triumph over Real Madrid, as Van Dijk described the criticism aimed at him by Rooney in the build-up to the game as "over the top", while Rooney stood firm on his views after questioning Van Dijk's body language.

Van Dijk has since remarked to Gary Neville on Sky Sports that "ex-top players have a responsibility to the new generation" and ought to be mindful of young players' mental health in the social media era.

Upon hearing Van Dijk's comments to Neville, Rooney responded in an appearance on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, saying: "I've been pulled up a few times because I like to speak about what I see. If a player is doing well or not doing well, you give your opinion, that's the job.

"I think Virgil and other top players need to remember that we were once players too. This is not something new. It happens and I'm sure he'll realize that when he stops playing."

Rooney then drew on his own encounters with pundits and the media, arguing that he endured more intense criticism than the Dutchman. He said: "Virgil van Dijk will know himself if he's had a good game or a bad game.

"No one's having personal attacks on players, it's an opinion, what you see. I've been through that probably a lot more than Virgil van Dijk has been through it. That's part of football.

Van Dijk confronted Rooney over criticism he had received from the England legend earlier this season(Image: Amazon Prime Video)

"Players now get the benefit of all the commercial things they do and they earn a lot of money from doing that. They need to understand that pundits have opinions. Sometimes, pundits can go over the top. But as a player, you're judged on performances."

He then took another dig at Van Dijk's showings this campaign. After acknowledging his performance in Sunday's defeat to Manchester City, Rooney continued: "But for many games this season, he hasn't been at his level.

"Whether that's because he's getting a little bit older, he's played a lot of games. He's been one of the best center-backs in the world in recent seasons but he hasn't had the best of seasons, which is shown by Liverpool's position in the table."

Liverpool's title defense has fallen short of expectations, especially following last summer's spending spree. Arne Slot's men sit sixth in the standings and are battling to qualify for the Champions League.