Virgil van Dijk Believes Manchester United Were ‘Disrespected’ Ahead of Liverpool Draw

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has expressed his belief that Manchester United were “disrespected” prior to their 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday. The Dutch defender was surprised by the media’s assumption that Liverpool would comfortably beat United, who had lost three consecutive games before their trip to Merseyside.

Speaking after the match, Van Dijk said, “Do I feel United were disrespected? Yeah. I heard in the press conference someone asked if we were going to rotate players against United. I was shocked. It is one of the biggest games of the season and United will always make it tough. To hear that, I was surprised.”

Despite United’s recent struggles, Van Dijk acknowledged their quality and the challenge they posed to Liverpool. “We are playing against a good opponent. I think everyone from the outside world forgets that judging by the sound that had been going around before the game. They have good players. They are obviously a work in progress like we are but they made it difficult for us,” he added.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw, with United’s Amad Diallo scoring a late equalizer after Liverpool had come back from a goal down to take a 2-1 lead. Lisandro Martínez had given United the lead before goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead.

Van Dijk also addressed the recent criticism faced by his teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold, who put in a lackluster performance against United. The right-back has been the subject of transfer speculation, with Real Madrid reportedly approaching Liverpool about signing him in the January window. However, Van Dijk dismissed the notion that the speculation had affected Alexander-Arnold’s performance.

“No. I am fine with it,” the centre-back said. “Trent has his own people around him, his family and we are there as well. He wants to perform in the best way possible like we all do. That is the main focus. In my opinion, maybe ask him, that is the distraction, the game.”

Both Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, along with Mohamed Salah, are out of contract at the end of the season, adding to the uncertainty surrounding their futures at Liverpool…