Pickford criticism for Van Dijk injury is over the top, says Everton's Ancelotti

Premier League champions Liverpool confirmed Van Dijk will undergo surgery on damaged knee ligaments following a challenge by Pickford during Saturday’s Merseyside derby, which finished in a 2-2 draw.

The England goalkeeper, however, escaped retrospective action over his challenge after the Football Association determined the incident was seen at the time by the match officials, including the video assistant referee (VAR).

Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum said the way Pickford went into the challenge was “completely stupid” and while the keeper had not set out deliberately to injure the centre back, he “didn’t care about what happened after the tackle.”

The Everton keeper has also faced a barrage of criticism from pundits as well as on social media, which Ancelotti said had gone too far.

“There was this contact with Jordan Pickford: it was mistimed contact. Jordan arrived a little bit later but his intention was to try to reach the ball. It was not to hurt Virgil van Dijk.