Jordan Pickford: Graeme Souness hits out at Everton goalkeeper’s ‘assault’ on Virgil van Dijk but Jamie Carragher doubts deliberate intentions

Former Liverpool players were split on Pickford’s potentially season-ending tackle on Van Dijk following an ill-tempered Merseyside derby at the weekend

Jordan Pickford is under fire following his tackle on Virgil van Dijk that has left the Liverpool defender requiring surgery (Getty)

Former Liverpool players Graeme Souness and Jamie Carragher were split on Jordan PIckford’s controversial challenge on Virgil van Dijk that has left the defender facing a battle to play again this season, with the tackle by the Everton goalkeeper described as “an assault”.

Souness was furious with Pickford’s lunge on Van Dijk, which has left the Dutch defender with serious damage to his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee that will require surgery to repair. Liverpool have confirmed that Van Dijk will have an operation this week, and although they have not put a timescale on how long he will miss, the expectation is that it will be between six and nine months before he is seen on the pitch again.

The collision came in an ill-tempered Merseyside derby that also saw Everton striker Richarlison sent off for a nasty challenge on Thiago Alcantara, although Pickford escaped any action due to an offside being flagged moments before the goalkeeper clattered into Van Dijk.

An incensed Souness labelled Pickford’s actions “outrageous”, and he also questioned why the Video Assistant Referee wasn’t utilised to punish Pickford.

“Any professional or semi-professional who has played the game, maybe the guys on Hackney Marshes, when they look at that, their focus isn't on the offside, it's on the player,” Souness said on Sky Sports.

“It's outrageous. For me, it's: wow.

“These people who make these decisions who look at that and talk about offside, I just don't get it. I've been to Stockley Park, it's nigh on impossible to make a mistake. And they still get it wrong. That was an assault, not a tackle, an assault.”

But that theory was not shared by Carragher, with the former Liverpool defender drawing on his own experiences to accept that serious injuries happen in football, with his belief that Pickford did not rush out off his line with the intention to injure Van Dijk.

“There'll be a lot of frustrations from Liverpool wanting Pickford to be banned,” said Carragher. “I am going to defend Pickford on that. I've had my leg broken, I nearly broke Nani's leg. These things happen unfortunately in football.

Pickford injured Van Dijk that will require surgery to repair his ACL (PA)

“I don't believe anyone goes out to deliberately hurt someone. Jordan Pickford is all over the place with his game at the moment.

“He comes out and makes a crazy decision like he's been doing the last 12 months and very unfortunately he's left one of the top players in the Premier League in a bad way.

“I really believe Pickford will not be in a good place himself tonight (Sunday) and I hope he isn't in some ways.”