Virgil van Dijk has said he does not view the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City differently in light of the latter's guilty verdict but admitted he will share his opinion on the matter when the process has concluded.
Liverpool and City went head-to-head for several years in the Premier League under Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, with City twice pipping the Reds to the title by a single point.
City's success has come under enormous scrutiny since an independent commission found them guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules, however Van Dijk has said his view what happened on the pitch remains unchanged.
"No, because I really enjoyed our rivalry and it was a great rivalry on the pitch," he said after City's 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield. "What happened off the pitch that is for others to find a conclusion on and then lets see.
"It's still a little bit ongoing so I don't think it's smart for me to comment on it right now but when the verdict comes out I will definitely have my opinion and I will probably share it as well. But for now I don't think it's a smart thing to do."
Virgil Van Dijk isn't viewing Man City's rivalry with Liverpool in a different light. Alex Pantling/Getty Images City were braced for a hostile reception at Anfield and the Liverpool supporters frequently chanted "cheats" at their opponents during the game.
"I think everyone could hear it," Van Dijk said. "Everyone can share their feelings and I don't think Anfield will be the only place where it will be the case because fans will have their feelings but for players I don't think it is a good idea at this moment in time."
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The Liverpool captain added: "We play for Liverpool so we have the expectation we have to win every game. It has not been spoken about to use as extra motivation in the situation as you play a big game at home against the league leaders and everyone was up for it.
"We struggled a little bit with some injuries at the moment and I think in the first half we showed a lot of fight and intensity -- the bare minimum by the way. There was a lot of good things in the first half but the fact is we lost it 3-0 and that hurts."