Virgil van Dijk faces backlash over blunt comments on Man Utd teammate's error

Supporters have taken aim at Virgil van Dijk following his remarks on Matthijs de Ligt's error in the Netherlands' 2-2 stalemate with Germany.

Van Dijk was paired with De Ligt in defense for the match in Amsterdam, but the latter, who plays for Manchester United, was culpable for Germany's opener after losing possession in a dangerous area. The mistake was pounced upon, leading to Deniz Undav's goal for Germany.

De Ligt's night ended at the interval, as boss Ronald Koeman opted to bring on Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke. The clash concluded with the scores level, and Van Dijk had some advice for De Ligt post-match.

"This is football," said the Liverpool skipper. "You have to learn from this. It was one moment but at the highest level you will get punished for it."

Yet, some fans are challenging Van Dijk's perspective, suggesting he too should shoulder blame, particularly for Germany's second goal where he failed to keep tabs on Joshua Kimmich. A fan pointed out: "Van Dijk was sleeping and couldn't even mark the back post, yet the media will just be all about De Ligt."

Another fan expressed: "I'm not being funny but out of the 3 Netherlands players involved there, De Ligt is the least at fault. Dumfries hasn't got a clue where he is and Van Dijk just lets his man run behind him for a tap in."

A third fan pointed out: "Meanwhile Virgil van Dijk is the one at fault, if he's in position this is a simple interception and the goal doesn't happen. It is reputation > production, as per. People criticizing Matthijs De Ligt are showing they are doing it because of his club, not footballing reasons."

De Ligt was also part of the Dutch squad that secured a 5-2 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday, yet he didn't escape criticism for his role in the two goals conceded. Post-match, the defender didn't shy away from self-critique, admitting: "I think you know how I feel, we won but then comes the individual part.

"I should have done better at their second goal, and I know that. I don't really know what happened.. I should have cleared the ball but I kept having doubts during the play. It's just f****d. If this game is a missed opportunity for me? I don't know, I just try to do my best."