Liverpool and Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk told new Manchester United signing Matthijs de Ligt to learn from his mistake. De Ligt’s mistake cost the Netherlands a goal during the first half against Germany in the 2-2 Nations League draw.
The new Man United signing misplaced a pass under pressure which allowed Jamal Musiala to intercept and start a counter. The 38th-minute equalizer from the Germans allowed them to push forward and find the second goal before the halftime whistle.
Dutch substituted De Ligt in the halftime and managed to equalize early in the second half to earn a draw. Van Dijk played a crucial role for the Dutch despite the mistakes of his teammates almost cost the team dearly.
The Dutch captain made seven clearances, two total tackles, and two block shots while enjoying 90% passing accuracy against Germany. He also won 100% ground duels and maintained his impressive aerial dominance by winning three out of four aerial duels.
During the post-match interview (via Express) Van Dijk addressed the mistake and incredibly poor performance from De Ligt against Germany. He said:
“This is football. You have to learn from this. It was one moment but at the highest level you will get punished for it.”
United signed De Ligt after he struggled to maintain the starting role at Bayern Munich due to inconsistencies and injuries. The Dutchman is another hefty price signing for the arch-rivals as their trend to spend big without any strategy continues.
Meanwhile, Van Dijk is playing in the last season of his current contract at Liverpool, earning £220,000 per week. While Liverpool prefers not to give lucrative contracts to ageing players, Van Dijk is an anomaly in such a situation.
The 33-year-old has maintained his dominance as a central defender while his legacy and leadership are equally important to Liverpool. The fans and his peers adore him and want him to stay at the club for more years.
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- Liverpool set for €60m transfer battle to secure Van Dijk’s successor in January
However, from a practical point of view, the Reds should sign a competitive defender who can eventually succeed Van Dijk. This would allow his successor to adjust to the club’s demands while negating any risk factors that come with ageing.
