Ronald Koeman probably isn’t Liverpool’s biggest fan. The Reds made a habit of pinching his best players during his time in charge of Southampton, while his short time at Everton made him a direct rival.
And the relationship has only gotten frostier since he left the Premier League. Now in charge of the Netherlands national team for a second time, Koeman has had a recent run-in with Ryan Gravenberch following his move to Anfield. The midfielder turned down a call-up to the Dutch U21s side back in September, instead choosing to bed himself in at Liverpool after his deadline day transfer from Bayern Munich. That didn’t go down well with Koeman, who subsequently snubbed him completely for last month’s international break.
The former Barcelona boss has now suggested he has put that incident behind him, although Gravenberch will now have to wait until March before he can receive his next call-up. Koeman’s gripes with Liverpool-based players don’t end there though.
Just last week, he made a rather curious claim about Virgil van Dijk, suggesting the Reds captain needs to work on his leadership qualities. “In recent international matches, I thought he was the old Virgil again,” Koeman started on a rather more positive note when speaking to Ziggo Sport. “However, I still think he can do better. One point of criticism I think is that he could be even more of a leader. But the contact between us is very good. And within the group he really has the upper hand.”
He might not like to, but perhaps Koeman should be paying a bit more attention to Liverpool this season. If he did, he would see why he’s wrong about Van Dijk.
