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Roy Keane stands firm in his critique of Virgil van Dijk following Liverpool skipper’s remarks

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Roy Keane hasn’t backed down on his assessment of Virgil van Dijk, asserting his prerogative to “make mistakes” despite the Liverpool captain refuting Keane’s accusations of arrogance.

Following Sunday’s intense match at Anfield, Van Dijk expressed disappointment, claiming that Liverpool was the dominant force and the only team striving for victory in the Premier League clash.

“We aim to win every game, particularly against opponents like them,” Van Dijk stated. “It’s frustrating because we outperformed them in all aspects, and they relied solely on counter-attacks to trouble us.”

Van Dijk further suggested that Manchester United were content with securing a draw, a statement that deeply offended Roy Keane.

In a remarkable outburst on Sky Sports immediately after the interview, Keane branded the Liverpool skipper as “arrogant” and “disrespectful.”

“There’s a lot of arrogance oozing out of him, disrespecting Manchester United like that,” Keane remarked. “He needs to be reminded that he plays for a club that has claimed only one title in over 30 years.”

Despite Van Dijk defending his post-match comments, Keane revisited the topic days later when discussing Manchester City’s match against Crystal Palace.

“I observed Crystal Palace playing against Manchester City – Crystal Palace isn’t on par with Manchester United, yet they set up their defense in a way that received praise for Roy Hodgson, managing to secure a draw,” Keane noted on the Stick to Football podcast, sponsored by Sky Bet.

“I didn’t witness any criticism from City towards Crystal Palace. Although the goal dynamics might differ, in certain games, survival takes precedence – United would accept the point.”

He continued, “I didn’t witness excessive celebrations from United after the game, as if they were ecstatic to secure a draw – they would have settled for it beforehand.

“He [Virgil van Dijk] is entitled to his viewpoint, possibly even to make mistakes. I’ve uttered things post-games during my tenure at United and felt it was slightly exaggerated, mostly against my own team.”

Keane emphasized, “Throughout my career, I never criticized a team for their style of play because each team approaches the game differently. That’s also an aspect to be admired in football.”