Former Netherlands international slams 'lazy and nonchalant' Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has been called out for being 'lazy and nonchalant' by former Netherlands international Wim Kieft.

Kieft, who made 42 appearances for the Netherlands in the 80s, remarked that the defender doesn't train with the required professionalism and revealed the Liverpool defender's somewhat tetchy relationship with his Dutch teammates.

He said in an interview with De Telegraaf:

“He [van Dijk] is not sharp, he behaves with the Oranje and Liverpool like the finished star, the great coaching leader, who shows a little too much that he does not like his fellow players.

“At the same time, he plays lazy and nonchalant himself. He makes mistakes and often runs away from defensive handiwork in matches. With his status, he should be at the forefront of the battle.

Kieft also remarked that Virgil van Dijk should continue to remain critical of himself and train at a level which would prevent him from slipping from his pedestal as one of the world's best.

“It took Van Dijk a long time to get to the top international level. He has been there for about two seasons now, but it is important that Van Dijk remains very critical of himself. His environment also plays an important role in this.

“It's okay if his trainers shake him up a lot.”

Virgil van Dijk lost all five of his aerials in the first half against Chelsea.Getting dominated in the air. pic.twitter.com/gPXi74t8D4

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 20, 2020

Virgil van Dijk has powered Liverpool's success

After signing for Liverpool in a then-record £75 million deal in 2018, Virgil van Dijk has been the bedrock of the Merseyside club's success.

He won the Champions League with them in 2018-19 and followed that up by providing the platform for Liverpool to capture their first-ever Premier League title in 2019-20.

This season, despite an uncharacteristic error in the opening day league fixture against Leeds United, Virgil van Dijk has been an ever-present rock in defence for Jurgen Klopp's side.

Liverpool have picked up two wins out of two in the league following a 7-goal humdinger against Marcelo Bielsa's side and a fairly straight-forward 2-0 win against Chelsea.

They travel to Lincoln City in a midweek EFL Cup clash before hosting Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side in the Premier League over the weekend.

petition for virgil van dijk to be the new netherlands manager look at him go pic.twitter.com/g49RHk38A5

— ari (@lfcxari) September 23, 2020