He has recieved alot of critiscm on this forum since his transfer from Liverpool. Nothing to do with being a senior player.
I have been sat in the East stand where a small group of Season card card holders were calling him a soft scouse black ××××÷ , critical of his running style, his reluctance to dive into challenges. They seemed happy enough when he got the winning goal, not so happy when I pointed out that they had slagged him off for 65 minutes.
First choice for every top professional coach he has worked under. Just perhaps they know and see something other players , who they could select have not got, and some fans cannot see.
Or perhaps it is a mix of justification bias and football ignorance.
Perhaps Pep and Southgate have a better answer.