Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes Virgil van Dijk is 'not up to his level' and is 'playing within himself' after he returned from a long injury lay-off at the start of last season.
The central defender missed the majority of the 2020/21 campaign with an ACL injury, sustained in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park back in October 2020. He returned at the start of the 2021/22 season and went on to make 51 appearances in all competitions.
He only missed a handful of games last term, three with covid and a knee problem saw him miss the final two games of the season, although he was named on the bench on the final day against Wolves, but was an unused substitute.
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Liverpool 's start to the new campaign has been far from straight forward as they've picked up just nine points from a possible 18. Defensively, the team haven't looked as solid as normal and they've conceded six goals already in the league.
Van Dijk has come under some criticism for his recent form, while some feel he should have been sent off for his late challenge on Everton' s Amadou Onana during the Merseyside derby on Saturday. Murphy, who made just under 250 appearances for Liverpool, believes it's the long-term impact of such a serious injury.
“He’s not up to his level. Before his injury he was arguably looking like one of the best centre-halves we’ve ever seen,” he said on talkSPORT. “The injury, which is a huge one and he’s come back from, although he’s not had problems in missing games I think psychologically he’s not in the same place.
“What I mean by that is not wanting to be as physically engaged with players and tackles, although he had the studs one at the weekend. He’s playing within himself a little bit and protecting himself a little bit without knowing it. I’ve played with players who have had ACL injuries before and when they come back you can see them doing it.
“We are talking about someone who has set ridiculously high standards and even when he’s dropping below them at the moment he’s still brilliant compared to a lot of other centre-halves."
Van Dijk, though, had a good 2021/22 season and was a standout performer for Liverpool as they challenged on all four fronts for the entirety of the campaign. The Dutchman was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year alongside five of his teammates, including Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
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