Virgil van Dijk Speaks Out After Controversial Mo Salah Interview
Virgil van Dijk has addressed Mohamed Salah's bombshell interview following Liverpool's draw with Leeds United.
Liverpool continued their disappointing run of form on Saturday as they drew 3-3 with Leeds United at Elland Road.
The result marks two consecutive draws with sides recently promoted to the English top-flight and leaves the Reds ninth in the Premier League table.
However, things were only to get worse for Liverpool as star player Salah, who was named on the bench on Saturday for the third game in a row, condemned the club and manager Arne Slot in a post-match interview.
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Since the interview, Salah's teammates have remained silent on the Liverpool legend's shocking comments, but captain Van Dijk has now finally addressed them.
Speaking immediately after the Leeds United match, Salah told reporters that his relationship with Slot had completely broken down in recent weeks, for reasons unknown to him.
The 33-year-old labelled his current situation at Liverpool unacceptable and left the door open for a January transfer after claiming that he had been 'thrown under the bus' by the club.
Shortly after, Van Dijk was asked to react to Salah's stunning claims, and the Dutchman kept it short, not truly revealing how he feels.
"Let him say something," the Liverpool captain replied.
However, a later report from journalist James Pearce gave further insight into how Van Dijk and the rest of Salah's Liverpool teammates really felt about all that has happened.
Writing for The Athletic, he claimed: "Salah commands respect and admiration in the Liverpool dressing room, but has few close friends within it.
"Team-mates sensed an immediate change in his mood when he found out on Friday that he was not starting against Leeds.
"Given his history, they knew that he would publicly vent his anger sooner rather than later, and there was no sense of shock when they read his comments late on Saturday night."
The interview comes just days after Van Dijk spoke out on Salah's ongoing situation, claiming that, despite his past performances, he has to continue to play well or he is at risk of missing matches.
Despite this, the Liverpool skipper confessed that he 'needs' Salah at the club as a key leader in the changing room.
"It's not like you have unlimited credit, everyone has to perform," Van Dijk said after after the midweek draw with Sunderland.
"Mo has been doing that but the manager made that decision in the last two games. We all want the best for the club. I am pretty sure Mo will still be a big part of what we are trying to achieve because he is an amazing player and he has shown it consistently.
"I need him around as one of the leaders. I'm not worried. He's disappointed but that's absolutely normal as if you're not disappointed when you're not playing two games in a row then there is an issue as well."
It is not yet known exactly how Slot or Liverpool as a whole will react to Salah's shocking claims, but it is expected that the interview will be addressed ahead of the Champions League meeting with Inter Milan on Tuesday night.
Topics: Liverpool, Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, Arne Slot, Premier League, Football
Ben McCrum