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.
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.
“Pickford’s tackle on Van Dijk during Everton-Liverpool was called a leg breaker by Peter Crouch on live TV. Tony Cascarino compared Pickford to Roy Keane, who ended the career of Haaland (who went on to play after the injury), the Manchester City striker’s father.
“I did not comment on Van Dijk’s play with compassion on Twitter X. I maintain that he’s no longer the designated captain of the Dutch national team. But it is certain that Pickford, who did not even receive a card before his attack, is responsible for the demise of Virgil’s career.”
Pickford was “really sad” that he injured the Liverpool player and this was confirmed by Carlo Ancelotti, who was Everton manager at the time.
