Virgil van Dijk has urged Mohamed Salah to remain at Liverpool despite the Egyptian star’s ongoing rift with the club.
Salah returned to action from the bench against Brighton on Saturday, his first appearance since claiming he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club following last weekend’s 3–3 draw at Leeds.
The Egyptian forward said he had no relationship with Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, who had named him among the substitutes for three consecutive matches.
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The 33-year-old was subsequently left out of Liverpool’s midweek Champions League trip to Inter Milan, which ended in a 1–0 victory, but he was back in action as a first-half substitute against Brighton.
Salah made an immediate impact, providing the assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second goal in a vital 2–0 win.
He will now head to Morocco for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), however, and could be absent for up to five weeks.
Liverpool captain Van Dijk made it clear he wants Salah to stay and said he had conveyed that message directly.
“I would love to have him around because he is one of the leaders, but the fact is, he is going to AFCON,” Van Dijk said.
“We will be in contact over the next days and weeks like we always are, and let’s see.
“I wish him absolutely all the best, and hopefully he comes back. I have no control over that.
“We hope he will be absolutely successful there and that he will return to be important for the rest of the season. But on the other side of it, we all know football and have no idea what is going to happen.”
