LONDON, Dec 15 — Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has expressed his desire for Mohamed Salah to remain at the club, despite the Egyptian star’s recent outburst criticizing the team. However, Van Dijk admitted he is unsure what will unfold in the coming weeks.
LONDON, Dec 15 — Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has expressed his desire for Mohamed Salah to remain at the club, despite the Egyptian star’s recent outburst criticizing the team. However, Van Dijk admitted he is unsure what will unfold in the coming weeks.
Salah made his first appearance since the 3-3 draw with Leeds on Saturday, coming off the bench against Brighton and providing an assist in a 2-0 victory. The 33-year-old had previously claimed he was “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and said he had no relationship with manager Arne Slot, who had named him as a substitute for three consecutive games. Salah also missed Liverpool’s midweek 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan, but he is now set to join the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), potentially sidelining him for up to five weeks.
Van Dijk insisted he wants Salah to stay and said he had told the forward directly.
“I would love to have him around because he is one of the leaders, but he is going to AFCON. We will stay in contact over the next days and weeks, like always, and see what happens,” Van Dijk said.
“I wish him all the best and hope he returns to play an important role for the rest of the season. But football is unpredictable, and we cannot know what will happen.”
The Dutch defender also stressed that Liverpool’s dressing room has remained focused despite the ongoing speculation surrounding Salah’s future.
“As captain, I manage how the team reacts, and they reacted perfectly fine. Mo also reacted well in the end,” he said.
Van Dijk praised Slot for handling a challenging period at Liverpool, noting that the manager had managed the pressure and external scrutiny admirably.
“There’s a lot of noise and pressure from the outside world, which is understandable given our recent performances compared to last season. But from what I see in daily conversations, the manager has handled it very well,” Van Dijk said.
“This is a moment to see how everyone responds, and I think the manager has done perfectly.” — AFP
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