Memphis Depay mocked for showing ‘stay strong’ T-shirt supporting injured Virgil van Dijk as fans reply ‘he’s not dead!’

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 night

Fans were divided over the message, which came after the Liverpool defender’s injury

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?”

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 side