Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk’s supposed decline dates back to an injury he picked up against Everton in October 2020. That’s according to journalist Henk Spaan, who made this
claim in his column for Het Parool in the Netherlands. Three years ago, the centre-back suffered a serious knee injury after colliding with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during
the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. The Oranje international was sidelined for eight months before regaining full fitness and has been a regular for both his country and the
Reds since then.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
On Sunday, the Netherlands sealed a 2-1 win over Republic of Ireland in the European qualifiers. The Liverpool defender’s performance was criticised by Dutch analysts Johan
Derksen and René van der Gijp as the duo stated Van Dijk is no longer a top defender and is “on his last legs.” When assessing the 32-year-old’s latest display for his country, Spaan
states the Everton stopper is ‘responsible for the demise’ of Van Dijk’s career. “There was a moment on the sidelines against Ireland when Van Dijk was walked passed by an
opponent he would once have laughed at and taken the ball from without wasting a drop of sweat,” Spaan said.
“On live TV, Peter Crouch called Pickford’s tackle on Van Dijk during Everton-Liverpool a leg breaker.” Pickford was compared to Roy Keane, who halted the career of Haaland (who
went on to play after the injury), the Manchester City striker’s father, by Tony Cascarino.
“I did not respond to Van Dijk’s compassionate play on Twitter X.” He is no longer the appointed captain of the Dutch national team, in my opinion. But it is evident that Pickford,
who did not even acquire a card before his attack, is to blame for Virgil’s fate.”
Pickford was “really sad” that he injured the Liverpool player, and Carlo Ancelotti, Everton’s manager at the time, verified this.