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Jordan Pickford is 'responsible' for the 'demise' of Virgil van Dijk, claims Dutch journalist... after Liverpool star suffered serious knee injury during Merseyside derby clash in 2020

A Dutch journalist has claimed that Jordan Pickford is 'responsible' for the 'demise' of Liverpool and Netherlands star Virgil van Dijk.

The central defender played the full 90 minutes on Sunday night as his national side cruised to a 2-1 win over the Republic of Ireland in their Euro 2024 qualifiers.

It was a solid display from the Liverpool defender, who has struggled to reproduce the same form that saw him come runner-up in the Ballon d'Or voting back in 2019.

One key factor for that would be the knee injury van Dijk suffered in October 2020, which one journalist believes has had a lasting impact on the defender's career.