Virgil van Dijk has said Mohamed Salah is “very important” to Liverpool and wants him to stay

Liverpool Captain Virgil van Dijk said he “always wanted” Mohamed Salah to stay at the club after the Egyptian’s brilliance in the FA Cup win. Brighton.

The 33-year-old scored and provided an assist as Liverpool secured a 3-0 win to move into the fifth round.

In December, Salah said he was “thrown under the bus” by the club, and that his relationship with coach Arne Slott collapsed amid a difficult run of form.

However, since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations in January, the 33-year-old has featured in all of Liverpool’s matches, scoring two goals and providing four assists.

Salah’s current contract expires in 2027, and there is a possibility of his transfer this summer after nine years at Liverpool.

Al-Ittihad has tried to sign Salah in 2023 and the Saudi Professional League would still be interested if Salah is available.

Van Dijk pointed out that Salah is still breaking records with Liverpool, as his assists against Sunderland last week means that he has the most assists in the Premier League for the club, equal to Steven Gerrard with 92.

Van Dijk (34 years old) said, “Mo is still a leader and it is important for me as a leader that he is on the field and that his presence benefits the team.”

“He always gives the team more than goals. Obviously there’s a lot of focus on his goals at the moment because he sets very high standards, so when he doesn’t score a lot he gets criticized.”