Virgil van Dijk reacts after Man United star costs Netherlands

A 3-0 stomping in your first start for a club like Manchester United by arch rivals can do a lot to set the tone of your international break but Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk isn’t having any of that even if his team was responsible for Matthijs de Ligt’s woes.

The Manchester United defender in the UEFA Nations League game versus Germany, made a grievous error that cost the Netherlands their 1-0 lead shortly before the half-time whistle.

Though the Oranje went on to draw the game after needing an equalizer themselves, Virgil van Dijk had a lot to say about his teammate and Manchester United opponent, Matthijs de Ligt whose error was partly responsible for the eventual 2-2 score line.

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Speaking post-match, the Liverpool captain did not sugarcoat his words or get political when asked about Matthijs de Ligt’s error. 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.”

De Ligt, who recently joined Manchester United, attempted a risky pass out from the back that was intercepted, allowing Deniz Undav to level the score.

National team coach, Ronald Koeman was however more brutal in his assessment, asserting in his press conference;

“We talked about it briefly. That focused on the goal – he is not in a good position. He did not come out well with his steps. That was an individual bad moment from a defender. You have to learn from that, but also not be too dramatic about it.”