Liverpool's captain, Virgil van Dijk, has confirmed ongoing discussions between Mohamed Salah and the club. He urged the team to ignore external distractions. Dominik Szoboszlai's late penalty secured a 1-0 victory over Inter in the Champions League on Tuesday. However, much attention was on Salah's absence. Liverpool chose to leave him out after his post-match comments following a 3-3 draw with Leeds United.
Salah expressed feeling unsupported by Liverpool and hinted at a strained relationship with manager Arne Slot. This raised questions about his future at the club. Van Dijk stated that internal talks are underway as they seek a resolution with Salah, who is set to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations after facing Brighton this Saturday.
Van Dijk emphasised the importance of staying focused despite external noise. "I'm not the one to speak if someone has to apologise," he said on Amazon Prime when asked about Salah. "It's him airing his feelings for the past couple of days. That's something the club has to deal with, obviously, me as well. " He highlighted that Salah trained well and remains committed.
The captain acknowledged their friendship and shared experiences over time. "We speak, and those types of things will stay indoors as they should be," Van Dijk noted. He stressed that while it's challenging, they must collectively face this difficult situation together.
Tuesday's match marked only the third time since 2017 that Salah missed a Champions League game for Liverpool. Previously, he was absent against Barcelona in May 2019 and PSV in January 2025. Despite his absence, Liverpool achieved their first away win in this competition without him since November 2009 against Debreceni VSC.
Thank you for your support, Reds! pic.twitter.com/EKr25Yd8D2
- Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 9, 2025
Van Dijk highlighted the importance of communication within the team: "The most important thing is that you speak with each other. " He stressed recovering quickly for their next match against Brighton and celebrating victories to maintain morale.
Building Consistency
Liverpool's recent win extended their unbeaten streak to four games (W2 D2). This comes after struggling in previous matches across all competitions (W3 L9). Van Dijk expressed hope that Tuesday's performance would help build consistency: "It's a good feeling of winning," he said. "Especially in a period we are in, trying to find consistency and something to build on. "
The Dutch defender acknowledged it was always going to be a tough game but felt they handled it well: "It could have been a 0-0 game in the end, but it ended positively for us. " The team aims to use this victory as a foundation for future success.
