Arne Slot shuts down Virgil van Dijk critics with feelings on Liverpool future clear

Arne Slot as he rubbished criticism that was aimed at the captain during Euro 2024.

The Netherlands reached the semi-finals of the summer competition in Germany, but for his form during the tournament.

"He actually prefers to play backwards," one journalist wrote following the Netherlands' exit at the hands of England. "He hadn’t been passed by any player for a year, but that’s because he keeps walking backwards. Then you don’t get passed."

Slot, as a Dutchman, will have been more exposed than most to the flak Van Dijk faced in his home country, and he referenced that criticism as he hailed Van Dijk's front-foot performance in .

"Virgil was criticized after the Euros for not pushing forward and stepping into midfield," Slot told Amazon Prime. "I would advise those people to look at the game today because he was constantly on the front foot and helping the midfield when needed.

"He had a very good game. Mo [Salah] had two or three assists so he wasn't bad either and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] did what he usually does. It is good to have them in a good place and they are really important for Liverpool."

Van Dijk, Salah and Alexander-Arnold have all been key players during Liverpool's most successful period in decades, but all three players are into the final eight months of their contracts.

Of the three players, Van Dijk has been the most publicly vocal about his wish to stay at Liverpool, saying in September that he wants to remain at the club until at least the 2026 World Cup.

Then, last month he provided an update on negotiations: “I can say obviously discussions are ongoing, but I don’t know, we will see what happens in the future. My full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else. What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have been started and we will see.”

Alexander-Arnold said in September that he has no intention of letting his contract talks play out in public, while Salah, besides making a couple of statements that have been branded cryptic in some quarters, has not hinted at whether he would rather stay or leave.