MEMPHIS DEPAY was teased on Twitter for a ‘stay strong’ T-shirt tribute to injured Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk.
Fans online were torn between seeing the message as a heartwarming gesture for a pal – or an altogether cringeworthy affair.
Memphis Depay paid tribute to Virgil van Dijk during Lyon’s win on Sunday nightCredit: BT Sport
Fans were divided over the message, which came after the Liverpool defender’s injuryCredit: Reuters
Scoring in Lyon’s 4-1 win over Monaco on Sunday night, the Dutchman unveiled a T-shirt that read: “Virgil, stay strong my brother.”
Van Dijk is expected to be out for several months after suffering a knee injury in a clash with Jordan Pickford during the recent Merseyside derby.
Liverpool fans were furious when the Everton goalkeeper escaped punishment for the lunge, which was also not given as a penalty due to the defender being offside.
Having played with Van Dijk in the Netherlands national team since the centre-back’s 2015 debut, Depay took the time to send a message to his team-mate.
But many onlookers were left bewildered by the show of affection.
While it is not too uncommon for players to receive messages of support when ruled out long-term, they tend to play for the same club.
One Manchester United fan wrote: “Why does everyone keep acting like he’s dead?”
Another Twitter user joked: “When’s the funeral?”
How Virgil van Dijk compared to the rest of the PL’s defenders before he got injured
While Pete commented: “This is single handedly the most over the top thing in the history of football.”
Dec tweeted: “First player ever to get injured, pray for Virgil.”
But one Liverpool fan rebutted: “Imagine getting a lot of hate for supporting your friend, state of Twitter.”
Van Dijk and Depay are colleagues in the Dutch national sideCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Trevor Sinclair worries Virgil Van Dijk might not reach the ‘same level’ on his eventual return
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
