Virgil van Dijk has criticised the leaks surrounding Arne Slot’s dismissal, revealing that he learned of the Liverpool head coach’s sacking through reports.
The Liverpool captain was the first player to respond publicly to Slot’s departure, with Hugo Ekitike, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister and several others also paying tribute to the Dutchman.
“I landed in Amsterdam on Saturday afternoon and it had already leaked. After that, of course, I had conversations. But the decision had already been made earlier. It is not like they are asking me how or what,” Virgil van Dijk told NOS after the Netherlands’ friendly defeat to Algeria on Wednesday.
“I have spoken with Arne and with Sipke (Hulshoff, assistant coach.). That is the most important thing for me. I am very grateful to them. For everything they have meant, not only to me but also to the club. I wish them nothing but success.”
He added: “We are now living in a world where everyone [every journalist] wants to be the first person to break the news. These people are the ones that benefit from it. Yeah… this is the reality.”
Liverpool confirmed in their statement that work to appoint a successor was already underway, and Andoni Iraola quickly emerged as the club’s preferred candidate.
Negotiations have progressed rapidly, with the former Bournemouth boss expected to be announced as Liverpool’s new head coach in the coming days.
Iraola is set to sign a two-year contract at Anfield and is keen to bring Pablo de la Torre, Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Tom Webber with him as part of his coaching staff.
He will also reunite with sporting director Richard Hughes and defender Milos Kerkez, whom he previously worked with at Bournemouth.
For many Liverpool players, however, attention has now turned to the World Cup, which begins next Thursday.
Several Reds stars have already joined up with their national teams, with Van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch recently suffering a surprise defeat to Algeria.
Jeremie Frimpong was left out of Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands squad, while Hugo Ekitike and Curtis Jones will also miss the tournament.
Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have both found the net for Germany and Sweden, respectively in recent days.
Andy Robertson is set to captain Scotland, while former Liverpool teammates Ibrahima Konate and Mohamed Salah will also be involved in the competition in the United States.
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