Van Dijk proves Rooney wrong with classy gesture in Liverpool defeat

Virgil van Dijk might not have been involved as Liverpool crashed out of the Carabao Cup to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but the Dutchman proved legendary England forward Wayne Rooney wrong during the match all the same.

Rooney had criticised Liverpool for lacking leadership in recent days, notably picking out Van Dijk and Mo Salah as two of the Reds’ chief culprits.

But the Netherlands star’s action during the clash with Palace showed that his detractor could not have been further from the truth.

With 10 minutes of the 3-0 defeat remaining, young Liverpool defender Amara Nallo was sent off, prompting Van Dijk, who was watching from the stands to go down to the dressing room with Ibrahima Konate and personally speak with the 18-year-old while the match was still raging.

It was the second red card of Nallo’s career, having previously been dismissed against PSV, meaning that he has been sent off twice in just 16 professional minutes.

“Virgil immediately went inside to speak to him, to talk to him,” Arne Slot told the media after the game.

“That tells me they are great human beings. In a moment like this – when a young player, for the second time, is sent off – they felt how difficult the moment was. They went inside to be supporting for him.

“It wasn’t needed that I had to take care of him. They already took care of him.”

What did Rooney say about Van Dijk?

Van Dijk’s action was a show of leadership that Rooney had previously accused the 33-year-old veteran of failing to provide his team following Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League loss to Brentford.

Speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, he said: “Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they’ve signed new deals but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.

“I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them. They are the top two players in that team and if their body language is not right, that affects everyone else.

“I might be wrong on this, but if I was a Liverpool fan or the manager, that would be a big concern for me.”

Liverpool need Van Dijk’s influence more than ever after a run of six defeats in seven across all competitions.

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