Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has shown his true colours with his comments about Mohamed Salah following Liverpool’s FA Cup win over Brighton
Virgil van Dijk has shown his true colours with his Mohamed Salah comments after Liverpool dumped Brighton out of the FA Cup on Saturday evening.
Salah produced one of his finest displays this campaign, setting up the second goal for Dominik Szoboszlai before earning and then slotting home the spot-kick for Liverpool’s third.
Just two months back, there were genuine concerns that the home Premier League victory against Brighton might mark Salah’s final appearance in a Liverpool shirt as he departed for Africa Cup of Nations duties just a week after his bombshell remarks.
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Salah suggested he was being made a scapegoat for the Reds’ disappointing form and claiming he had no connection with manager Arne Slot.
The atmosphere has since thawed considerably, with Salah netting two goals and providing four assists across seven matches following his return from international commitments with Egypt.
Van Dijk commented: “Mo is still so important for us. Last week he had an assist again and broke another record and he is still the leader and important for me personally, as a captain, to have around and to have him on the pitch and his presence benefits the team.
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“He always gives the team more than goals. There’s obviously a lot of focus on his goals at the moment and that’s also part of his life because he puts the standards so extremely high, so when he doesn’t score as much he gets criticised.
“He has to stay calm and try to be important with everything he still can do and there is so much still. He is important for us on and off the pitch.”
Despite this, doubts persist regarding Salah’s long-term prospects, with the Saudi Pro League reportedly preparing to table another substantial offer for the 33-year-old when the summer transfer window opens. “The situation is what it is,” declared Van Dijk.
“The full focus is on trying to make this season a success first and we will see how then the season ends and then you never know what happens.
“I always want Mo to stay because I’m a good friend of him and we’ve been through the highs and not-so-highs – I don’t want to call them lows – together for so many years. The same as me he’s got one more year, so we will see.”