Virgil van Dijk will have talks with Mohamed Salah in the coming days but is unsure whether his Liverpool team-mate has played his last game for the club.
Salah went on an emotional lap of honour after Saturday’s win over Brighton before heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt, with his explosive interview earlier this month casting his future at Anfield in serious doubt.
The Egyptian forward during the interview claimed he’s being thrown under the bus by the club and that his relationship with head coach Arne Slot has broken.
Club captain, Van Dijk has now confirmed there will be discussions with Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer despite his departure for international duty.
“We will be in contact over the next days and weeks, we always are,” Van Dijk said. “I speak about everything with him. Of course I’ve told him I want him to stay.
“I wish him all the best and come back hopefully. I have no control over that. He is one of the leaders. I would love to have him around because he is one of the leaders. But obviously the fact is he is going to Afcon. I wish him absolutely all the best. We will be in contact over the next days and weeks. And then let’s see.”
Mohamed Salah acknowledges the fans after the Premier League match between Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Salah has failed to start Liverpool’s last five games, finding himself on the bench against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds before getting axed from the match-day squad for the trip to Inter Milan as punishment for his mixed-zone interview at Elland Road.
He returned to the bench on Saturday against Brighton and provided an assist for Hugo Ekitike. The assist saw him move up in the standings of “goal involvements” in the Premier League, past Wayne Rooney, with his total of 188 goals and 89 assists for Liverpool.
Van Dijk also says hailed Arne Slot on he handled the situation with class.
“I think he’s handled the situation very well. Calm in his own way. It is a very tricky situation,” he said. “There is a lot of noise and pressure from the outside world, obviously and rightly so because we’ve not been up or close to the standard of last season, but we are human beings and everyone reacts in a different way. But personally looking at it and the conversations we’ve had on a daily basis, I think he’s handled it very well.
“He’s at a club where it is a together club and that’s how it’s been before our time and that is something we have to keep going. We go through the good times together as a team and fanbase. And when difficult moments arise we also have to stick together. This moment in time is a very good moment to see how everyone responds and the manager did perfectly so far.”
Salah has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia clubs and it’s expected Liverpool might take an offer during the January transfer window.
