Forget Salah, Liverpool cannot ignore Virgil van Dijk’s decline any longer | OneFootball

Last April, Liverpool announced new contracts for Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk after months of will-they-won’t-they conjecture over their futures.

A year on, they already know Salah will be leaving at the end of the season, one year earlier than planned. This has been the Egyptian’s least effective season at Liverpool, with just five Premier League goals. He had 27 by this date last season.

It’s hard to hide from figures like that for attackers, especially in an era where goals and assists increasingly define players. For defenders who aren’t judged on those kind of metrics, it can be more subjective.

But Liverpool’s defence should be in the spotlight after a weekend in which they conceded four goals to Manchester City at the end of their FA Cup journey.

So has Salah’s downfall merely served to disguise Van Dijk’s own?

At the age of 34, it should have been realised that Van Dijk might begin to experience a natural decline. That did not deter Liverpool from giving him a lucrative new contract, one of the most financially rewarding ever given to a defender.

That would have been befitting of Van Dijk in his prime, when he was one of the best centre-backs around. Some argued he was the best; others thought that was an exaggeration, but still appreciated his abilities.

However, his flaws are being exposed more regularly now. He gave away a penalty for one of City’s goals at the weekend and didn’t cover himself in glory for the others. At this stage, his reputation can only carry him so far.

Critics point to how often Van Dijk stands off opponents dribbling towards him. As his pace diminishes, his ability to snuff out danger does too.

Liverpool now know Salah will be leaving in the summer. If an opportunity arose for Van Dijk to leave, would they stand in his way?

Perhaps they still would. Van Dijk is still valued for his leadership qualities. But Liverpool knew they needed to evolve their defence when they tried and failed to sign Marc Guehi – who has now been on the winning side against them five times this season – in the summer.

This time around, with Jeremy Jacquet due to join from Rennes but probably not enough alone to reinforce their defence if Ibrahima Konate’s contract expires, Liverpool might be viewing their next defensive target not as a long-term successor to Van Dijk, but one who can take over immediately.

Guehi would have fit that bill, but would likely have been phased in as a partner to the Dutchman. The decline since by Liverpool’s skipper means they must scour the market for another strong centre-back.

When the time comes, Van Dijk will leave as a Liverpool legend, just like Salah. He will probably leave on better terms, too.

But Liverpool need to pay close attention to his downward spiral and determine when the right time to move on will be.