Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has called on Virgil van Dijk to 'pull his finger out' and show more 'urgency and leadership'.
Liverpool kept their third clean sheet of the season against Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Van Dijk helping sure-up Jurgen Klopp’s backline. However, the Reds have looked far from convincing in the Premier League this season.
The Dutchman has been colossal at the back for the Reds after joining from Southampton in January 2018. Since his arrival at Anfield, Liverpool have won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and their first League Championship for 30 years.
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But ahead of this afternoon’s game against Arsenal, 1995 Premier League title-winning captain Sherwood has called on Van Dijk to 'pull his finger out' and 'show some leadership' following a difficult period for himself and his side.
“The huge player for me – and I know everyone is on the Trent [Alexander-Arnold] bandwagon right now and he’s not defending that well but going forward he’s still magnificent in my eyes – but Virgil needs to pull his finger out,” the ex-Blackburn Rovers midfielder told Sky Sports.
“He’s the leader, he’s playing at his pace and you can’t do that in the Premier League. I think he needs to show a little bit more urgency and leadership.
“I’m used to see him barking at people and the same for [Jordan] Henderson in the middle of the pitch and when [James] Milner is playing.
“That’s part of Van Dijk that people love about him, he’s a leader he didn’t care who he was upsetting. At the moment it just seems like he’s playing his own game. He needs to get a bit nastier and stop being friends with his team-mates.”
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