Virgil van Dijk labelled Wayne Rooney’s comments on both his and Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah’s leadership as “lazy criticism”.

On his podcast, the Wayne Rooney Show, the former Manchester United player stated that Van Dijk and Salah had not “really led that team this season”.

The Reds’ 2-0 win against Aston Villa on Saturday ended a four-game losing run in the Premier League, with Arne Slot’s side now third in the table and seven points behind leaders Arsenal.

Liverpool will be hoping to build on that victory when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

They have won 20 of their last 22 home Champions League group stage games (D1 L1), including each of their last 12 in a row.

However, three of their seven home group defeats have come against Spanish sides (one each vs Barcelona, Valencia and Real Madrid).

Van Dijk brushed off the comments from Rooney, with his full focus on his own team rather than the opinions of others.

“I didn't hear him last year,” Van Dijk said after the win against Villa.

“It doesn't hurt me. Just to come back to this particular player, obviously a legend, a big player of the game who inspired so many, I can say only positive things.

"But I feel that comment is just, I would say, a bit of a lazy criticism.

“It's easy to blame the other players, but he knows we do it together, trying to help each and every one of us to try to get out of this. Last year when things went well, you didn't hear that at all. It is what it is.

“[Pundits] have to do that job. He has an opinion and we have to deal with it. There's no hard feelings. I don't take it personally.”