Wayne Rooney has responded to Virgil van Dijk claiming his criticism of the Liverpool captain was “lazy” after the Reds beat Aston Villa over the weekend.

After winning their first five matches of the new campaign, defending champions Liverpoollost their following four matches to hand Arsenal full control of the title race.

From being five points behind the Reds just over a month ago, Arsenal are now seven points ahead of Arne Slot’s side, who got back to winning ways in a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Several of Slot’s players have received criticism this season with former Manchester United striker Rooney picking out Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah for stick.

Rooney said on his?BBC?podcastwhile Liverpool were on their losing streak: “No one has seen this coming, it’s hit them quick, it’s hit them hard and I think they’re struggling to find a way out of it.

“This is a time where the manager and the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly. Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they’ve signed new deals but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.

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“I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them.

“They are the top two players in that team and if their body language is not right, that affects everyone else.

“I might be wrong on this, but if I was a Liverpool fan or the manager, that would be a big concern for me.”

Over the weekend, Van Dijk hit back at those comments, he said: “Well, I didn’t hear him last year.

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“It doesn’t hurt me, to be honest. I feel like, just to come back to this particular player, and this obviously a legend, big player of the game – I can say all the only positive things but I feel like that comment, I would say it’s a bit of a lazy criticism.

“That’s my personal opinion. It’s easy to blame the other players, but he knows as well as everyone else we do it together, trying to help each and every one of us to try to get out of this. Like I said, last year when things go well you don’t hear that at all. It is what it is.

“You have to do that job as well, so it is what it is. It’s part and parcel when everyone has an opinion and we have to deal with it.

“And there are no hard feelings, by the way. I don’t take it personal whatsoever, but I feel like that.”

Rooney accepted Van Dijk’s right to reply but added: “He probably hasn’t been as good as he has been over the last few years.”