Virgil van Dijk responds to questions over Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk said he “always” wants Mohamed Salah to stay at Liverpool amid questions if the winger will be at Anfield next season.

Salah brought his future on Merseyside into doubt in December with an explosive interview when he accused the club of throwing him under the bus and breaking promises to him.

Van Dijk says he ‘always’ wants Salah to stay (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

But while he was then omitted from the squad for the Champions League game at Inter Milan, relations were repaired to the extent that he has started all seven games since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations.

He scored and assisted in Saturday’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Brighton and has a further season on his contract, with Van Dijk hoping he remains at Anfield.

He explained: “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 [on his current deal], so we will see.

“I think 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. He also has to just keep going.”

Salah’s goal against Brighton was just his second in his last 13 appearances for Liverpool but Van Dijk added: “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 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.

“Let's see for the rest of the season how important he still is and can be and the rest of the team will hopefully be successful but there is still a long way to go.”