Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk says he can handle criticism coming his way.

Van Dijk wasn't always at his best last season.

The Netherlands captain said: "I don't feel too big to be vulnerable. It has been quite an intense season, with many ups and downs and people must understand that we aren't robots. It has been a year in which I learned a lot - especially off the pitch, and certainly mentally.

"In football, it's never plain sailing - but this season was still quite a shock. Sometimes the criticism was just right, both on the team and on me individually. But quite often it was not quite right. Either way, you have to be able to deal with it - and I'm glad I came out of it well. Mentally, that's not always easy."

"Criticism is part of it - and it's certainly not a problem if it's justified," Van Dijk continued. "But a footballer knows when he has played well or badly. Some comments are also only intended to be controversial and are said just for the sake of saying them. There are so many platforms on which people can express their opinions these days.

"The problem is that, as a footballer, you can't really say much back. If you do that once, you immediately have the puppets dancing. I am someone who consciously doesn't read, listen or watch much. I can shut myself off from it. But you do get told a lot by other people - and then you can't escape it."