Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has expressed his desire for Mohamed Salah to remain with the club, following the Egyptian's stellar performance in their recent FA Cup victory over Brighton.
Salah, aged 33, scored a goal and provided an assist as Liverpool secured a 3-0 win to advance into the fifth round of the FA Cup. This comes after a challenging period in December when he claimed that he had been "thrown under the bus" by the club and his relationship with head coach Arne Slot had deteriorated due to poor form.
However, since returning from Africa Cup of Nations in January, Salah has started every game for Liverpool. He has managed to score twice and make four assists during this period.
Speculations surrounding Salah's future
Despite his current contract expiring only in 2027, there are speculations about him potentially moving on this summer after spending nine years at Liverpool. Al-Ittihad showed interest in signing Salah back in 2023 and it is believed that Saudi Pro League would still be interested if he becomes available.
Van Dijk highlighted that despite these rumors, Salah continues breaking records for Liverpool - his assist against Sunderland last week means he now shares the record for most Premier League assists (92) for the club with Steven Gerrard.
Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool captain, said:
"Mo is still a leader and important for me, as a captain, to have around and to have him on the pitch and his presence benefits the team. He always gives the team more than goals. There's obviously a lot of focus on his goals at the moment because he puts the standards so extremely high, so when he doesn't score as much he gets criticised."
"[Mo is] the same as me - he's got one more year [left on his contract] so we will see. I always want Mo to stay because I'm a good friend of his and we've been through the highs and not-so-highs - I don't want to call them lows - together for so many years.
"Mo is a very important Liverpool player who has set the bar extremely high. I can only say for us nothing has changed. There are so many things people don't see what is important to try to become a successful team. Let's see for the rest of the season how important he still is and can be."
Look back at his performance
Before Saturday’s match against Brighton where he scored once again, Salah had only managed one goal across twelve games for Liverpool. However, it’s worth noting that last season was particularly fruitful as he netted 34 goals under Arne Slot’s leadership which led them to lift Premier League title. Since joining Liverpool back in 2017, he has amassed an impressive total of 252 goals.
Van Dijk himself signed a new two-year contract just a week after Salah extended his own in April. The Dutchman has also been grappling with form this season, with Liverpool currently sitting sixth in the Premier League having secured only 12 wins from their 26 matches.
While there are speculations about Salah's future at Liverpool, his recent performance and Van Dijk's endorsement suggest that he remains an integral part of the team. His potential departure would undoubtedly leave a significant void in Liverpool’s attacking line-up.
