Virgil van Dijk offered a harsh response to reporters asking about Matthijs de Ligt’s blunder during the Netherlands against Germany.
Virgil van Dijk commented on Matthijs de Ligt’s error and substitution for the Netherlands versus Germany.
Virgil van Dijk, the Netherlands captain, responded ruthlessly to Matthijs de Ligt’s costly error against Germany on Tuesday evening.
De Ligt paired Van Dijk at the heart of the Dutch backline in Amsterdam, but made a crucial mistake that led to Germany’s equaliser.
The new Manchester United acquisition attempted to play out of the back but gave the ball away cheaply, allowing Deniz Undav to score the equaliser.
Van Dijk was enraged and slammed the floor before appearing to gesture at the former Bayern Munich and Juventus player.
De Ligt was substituted for Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke at halftime, and Van Dijk was unapologetic when asked about the 25-year-old’s latest gaffe.
Van Dijk told NOS: “This is football.” You must learn from this. It was only for a moment, but you will be punished at the highest level.
Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan had put the Dutch up early on, but Joshua Kimmich added to Undav’s goal to make it 2-1 before halftime, with Van Dijk’s defending not shining brightly.
Denzel Dumfries scored in the second half to ensure a draw in the Nations League match.
Nathan Ake, a Manchester City defender, was stretchered off in tears in the first half after appearing to have suffered a catastrophic injury.
De Ligt has struggled recently, and his first start for United resulted in a 3-0 loss to Van Dijk’s Liverpool.
He was then criticised for his performance for the Netherlands in a 5-2 victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina, leading Ronald Koeman to confront his current form.
Koeman told Voetbal International: “We talked about it quickly. That is focused on the goal; he is not in a favourable position. He did not perform well with his steps.
“That was a difficult moment for a defender. You must learn from it while yet without being overly theatrical.
“He also had some great moments on the ball. That led in another big opportunity, as he played directly forward once. But it is apparent that he needs to develop.”
