Virgil van Dijk follows in footsteps of England stars at Euro 2024 as Liverpool point made

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk had to wait a long time to feature in his first European Championship, but the Dutchman is now making up for lost time. Van Dijk had to wait until near his 33rd birthday before making his debut in the competition.

The Netherlands have come in for some criticism at home and will have to do it the hard way to reach the latter stages of the Euros. Ronald Koeman's side finished third in Group D after a 3-2 defeat to Austria.

Van Dijk could now come up against England in the last-16 but speaking ahead of the match, he addressed the negative comments and likened it to a situation he has already faced at club level.

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Speaking to outlet Algemeen Dagblad, Van Dijk said: "You don’t have control over people’s opinions. One person may have very high expectations of us, while the other may have said before this European Championship that ‘they will be back in the Netherlands in no time’.

“If you listen to everyone who has something to say, your feelings will continue to fluctuate. That’s part of it. That is also the case at the club. It’s football, everyone has an opinion.”

When asked if he is bothered by the criticism, Van Dijk was adamant he isn't: “No. If that were the case I would really have a very unpleasant life. How you want to see it also depends on how you approach or want to approach life. For journalists it is something to talk about and that is fine.”

His comments echo those made by the likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice amid criticism faced by England players this summer. BBC presenter Gary Lineker was among those to hit out at the display in the recent draw with Denmark.

The Netherlands have labored in its game's at Euro 2024 thus far. It secured a narrow 2-1 win against Poland in the first game, before drawing with France 0-0 in a fairly tame encounter in the second game of the group stage. Yet those four points will be enough to secure a spot as one of the best third-placed sides despite losing 3-2 to Austria in a thrilling encounter.

Liverpool.com says: Van Dijk will care little what the media back in The Netherlands are saying about his or his team's performances at Euro 2024. Van Dijk is surely used to the media attention at this stage in his career, and he'll likely brush it off and focus on doing what's best for his side going forward.