“I can only speak for myself and I wouldn’t worry about me" - Liverpool star rubbishes claims that mid-season World Cup is a reason behind slow start to season

Virgil van Dijk has dismissed speculation that his poor Liverpool form has been affected by the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

The centre-back has been one of world football's leading defenders in recent years, winning every major trophy available to him since his move to the Reds in 2018.

Van Dijk has been criticized for his form in recent weeks as Liverpool have endured a slow start to the season. The centre-half appears slow while attempting to close down forwards, which has led to some speculating that he doesn't want to get injured.

Van Dijk will be a key member of the Dutch side that travel to Qatar later this year but has denied that his international commitments have affected his form at club level. He told The Times:

“I can assure you that is definitely not the case. We are not in the situation because of that. I would understand because of the start we had everyone is looking for, ‘Why?’ because the difference is too big [from last season] but I can assure you that is definitely not one of the reasons. You focus on the game at the time and that’s definitely what we’re doing."

“I can only speak for myself and I wouldn’t worry about me. If you think about this, I think you are going to have issues, in my opinion. It is just game-by-game and that includes international football. I want to go [to the World Cup] but to be ready, in my opinion, is not to focus on hopefully not getting injured, it is just keep playing, get fit, stay fit and get in a good moment.”

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Pundit denies claims that Liverpool overplayed Virgil van Dijk last season

The Liverpool star missed nearly a year of action after picking up a severe injury in September of 2020.

However, Kevin Campbell doesn't think he has been rushed back. The former Arsenal striker told Football Insider:

“You could say that is part of the problem but as a player, you want to play. Van Dijk had such a long time out he will want to play as much as he can. The thing is, he was outstanding for the majority of last season. He played in all of those games, it was ridiculous."

"He has had a summer and had a rest now. You cannot blame last season for it. Listen, Liverpool have just let their levels drop a touch. It is going to take a little bit of time to get back to where they were."