Gary Neville has said Virgil van Dijk’s red card surprised him as the Liverpool defender was dismissed against Newcastle United.
Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, the Sky Sports pundit detailed how the centre-back’s sending off caught him by surprise, with Van Dijk shown a straight red for a foul on Alexander Isak.
With Liverpool going on to win 2-1 in what was a dramatic result for the Reds, Van Dijk arguably got away with one thanks to Darwin Nunez’s second-half brace.
However, there’s no denying that the defender should have done better, with Van Dijk now expected to miss Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League fixtures.
And for Neville, the former Manchester United defender was surprised by Van Dijk’s red card, with the pundit saying: “That’s so unlike Virgil van Dijk.
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“For me, I have to say, the very best of Van Dijk is someone who shepherds someone into a corner and then takes it off them, he doesn’t commit or dive in, so I was really surprised that he did it.”
Van Dijk will have to learn from Newcastle sending off
A defender as experienced and as good as Van Dijk knows better than to lunge in when an opposing player is breaking through on goal.
Yet learning experiences come to players no matter their age or how many games they’ve played, and Van Dijk will take important lessons from his sending off against Newcastle.
With Liverpool now set to suffer, it’s up to Van Dijk to correct his wrongs when he returns from suspension, with the defender no doubt ready to show what he can do when back in the XI.