Liverpool started the 2025–26 season with five straight wins after winning the Premier League championship in Arne Slot’s first season.

But they have fallen behind in the race for the crown after four straight league losses, the most recent of which came against Brentford.

Forward Rooney of Manchester United and England claimed that Van Dijk and teammate Mohamed Salah have not “really led that team this season,” according to BBC Sports on Monday.
Van Dijk remarked, “I didn’t hear him last year,” following Liverpool’s victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, which stopped their downward trend.

“I’m not harmed by it. I can only say good things about this specific guy, who is undoubtedly a legend and a major role in the game who inspired a lot of people, but I think that statement is a bit of a lazy criticism.

It’s simple to place the responsibility on the other players, but he is aware that we all work together to attempt to get out of this. You didn’t hear that at all when things went smoothly last year. That’s the reality. That’s what [pundits] have to do. We must take his opinion into consideration. There’s no animosity. I don’t find it offensive.

“I’ve also heard allegations that [Slot] is under pressure, but I don’t believe we play for a team that makes snap judgments.

We all believed that we could get out of this. We can succeed together, but there’s no assurance. Van Dijk continued, “We can succeed as long as we have faith, remain modest, and keep working. We all have that feeling.”

Rooney questioned the leadership of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, two of Liverpool’s top players, calling their body language amid the team’s current bad run a “big concern.”