Dutch great Wim Kieft has labelled Liverpool Virgil Van Dijk as lazy and nonchalant, warning the Red’s star centre back to stay grounded and not get carried away by his success since his arrival at Liverpool.
Van Dijk has been credited as the rock upon which the foundation of Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League winning sides as built, but he has recently come under criticism from former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who described him as “arrogant” after a lukewarm start to the season.
Kieft, who earned 42 caps for the Netherlands, has suggested that Van Dijk needs to seek out continuous improvement and not rest on his laurels once reaching the top.
“He 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,” the EURO 1988 winner told De Telegraaf.
“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 said it was important for the accomplished centre back to maintain his consistency.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Van Dijk has heaped praise on makeshift centre-back Fabinho following the Brazilian’s superb display in the 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
“I just told him I think he was man of the match. To keep out a striker like [Timo] Werner and don’t let him score, overall he was outstanding,” Van Dijk told liverpoolfc.com.
“Everyone knows how good he is but it shows also that we need everyone.
“We are a bit unlucky with the injuries now but we’ll need everyone back because it’s such a long season.”