Virgil van Dijk embroiled in tense spat with reporter who accused Liverpool star of 'betraying' the Netherlands after World Cup failure - forcing press officer to intervene

Virgil van Dijk came out fighting during a tense press conference exchange on Wednesday, with a Dutch reporter accusing the Liverpool star of 'betraying' the national team.

The veteran defender led the Netherlands at the World Cup this summer, where they fell to a penalty shootout defeat by Morocco at the round of 32 stage.

Their dismal performance led to the departure of manager Ronald Koeman, with Barcelona legend Xavi now tasked with transforming the football team's fortunes.

Van Dijk remains an integral part of the Spaniard's plans, but his place in the team has faced added scrutiny following their failure at the World Cup.

De Telegraaf's Valentijn Driessen accused Van Dijk and Koeman of having 'betrayed everything our national team stands for' in a withering takedown back in June, suggesting that the former boss' switch to a back five was done so as to protect his captain.

Van Dijk was seemingly aware of that criticism when he came face-to-face with Driessen on Wednesday.

Virgil van Dijk was embroiled in a tense spat with a Dutch journalist on Wednesday

The Liverpool defender had been accused of 'betraying' the national team

When asked what went wrong at the tournament in the United States, Van Dijk said: 'Well, it's easy to say in hindsight: 'We should have done this differently' or 'We should have done that differently.

'One of your colleagues also said, of course, that it was my idea to switch to playing with a back five. That is utter nonsense. The fact is we simply failed at the World Cup; those are the hard facts.'

Driessen, sensing tension from the defender, then questioned what was wrong. He asked: 'I feel like you aren't acting like your usual self. A bit curt, as if the media is still getting under your skin.'

He responded: 'I've never had anything against the media, but when nonsense is being sent out there… (I have to respond)'

'We didn't play a good World Cup. It's not about me. You perform together; you're a team. Your claim that I destroyed Dutch football after the World Cup – that sort of thing is completely baseless…'

Driessen went to respond before the team's press officer intervened, bringing an end to the exchange.

Van Dijk has made 96 appearances for his nation since making his debut in October 2015. He was named the captain of the Netherlands in 2018.