Mo Salah feels he has earned the right not to be dropped at Liverpool, but Virgil van Dijk appears to have a very different take on the drama that has rocked Anfield.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said no team-mate deserves special treatment, just days before Mo Salah insisted he didn’t have to fight for his place. Salah, 33, made the bombshell on Saturday night after manager Arn Slott left him on the bench for a third successive game as the Premier League champions were held to a 3-3 draw away at Leeds United.
In a conversation with journalists, the Liverpool forward accused the club of “throwing him under the bus” and hinted that next Saturday’s home game against Brighton could be a farewell match. Salah also insisted that despite his poor form, he should be a surefire starter given what he has done for Liverpool in the past.
“I don’t have to go to battle every day because I earned my position,” the Egyptian said. “I’m not bigger than anyone, but I’ve earned my spot. That’s football.”
However, Van Dijk does not seem to agree with this. Asked if Salah’s omission from the starting XI for Wednesday’s home game against Sunderland should send a message to the Reds’ dressing room, Van Dijk said: “That’s always been the case. There’s no unlimited credit, everyone has to perform.”
“Mo has done that and the manager has made that decision in the last two games. We all want the best for the club. He’s a great player and he’s shown that consistently so I’m sure Mo will continue to be a big part of what we’re trying to achieve.”
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“But we’re all trying to find consistency and he needs us to be at our best and we need him too and we’re all trying to find that. He’s still a great player and we still have to remember that there’s a reason why he’s been so successful at the club and we have to respect that.”
“I need him as one of my leaders. I’m not worried. He’s disappointed, but that’s completely normal. If you don’t get disappointed when you don’t play two games in a row, then you have a problem as well.”
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It remains to be seen whether Salah will play for Liverpool again under Slott, but he told reporters that the two suddenly had “no longer a relationship”. The two-time Premier League winner said: “I have said several times in the past that I have a good relationship with the manager, but now all of a sudden we no longer have a relationship. I don’t know why.”
“I feel like the club is throwing me under the bus, that’s how I feel,” Salah added. “I think it’s clear that someone is trying to put all the blame on me.”
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