Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk speaks out in defence of Arne Slot after the Reds manager is questioned about rumours linking Xabi Alonso to his role.

Virgil van Dijk attracted criticism after being at fault as Bournemouth opened the scoring during Liverpool's trip to the south coast on Saturday night. The Reds captain failed to clear a long ball into his team's penalty area,

Virgil van Dijk says it was 'disrespectful' for Arne Slot to be asked about speculation linking Xabi Alonso with his job as Liverpool manager. The Reds boss laughed off what he described as 'one of the weirdest questions' in the build up to his side's Champions League victory over Marseille on Wednesday - but his compatriot has now criticised the journalist who asked it.

Virgil van Dijk offered an unusual excuse for his role in Bournemouth ’s opening goal as Liverpool suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to end their 13-game unbeaten run. Liverpool battled back well from 2-0 down to draw level through Van Dijk’s header from a corner and Dominik Szoboszlai ’s free-kick either side of half-time.

Virgil van Dijk has slammed a "disrespectful" question posed to Arne Slot, in which the Liverpool boss was asked whether Xabi Alonso had been in touch about replacing him at Anfield. The Reds skipper maintains the entire squad remains fully supportive of their head coach following a commanding 3-0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League that has left them well positioned to secure progression to the knockout rounds.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has reacted to jeers from the home support at Anfield by stating that he "doesn't like boos". The Reds have not faced too many of those in recent times, with Jurgen Klopp building them into perennial challengers for the most prestigious of honours.

Liverpool’s defensive frailties were their undoing once again after Arne Slot’s side lost with the last kick of the match, beaten 3-2 in dramatic fashion by Bournemouth at a rain-soaked Vitality Stadium.