Liverpool's captain, leader, legend: Virgil van Dijk required to rise to the occasion once again as reeling Reds eye Carabao Cup defence

It's still difficult to get one's head around the fact that Van Dijk's future remains unresolved with just over two months of the season remaining. The defender's contract expires at the end of June - along with those of Salah and Alexander-Arnold - meaning there's a very real chance that Van Dijk's final act at Anfield could be lifting the Premier League trophy before leaving on a free transfer.

It's a staggering state of affairs, truly unbelievable. One of Liverpool's greatest servants could be lost for nothing - and while still performing at the peak of his powers. It just doesn't make any sense to the supporters, particularly because nobody involved in the negotiations is saying anything. Not one director has stepped forward to shed some light on the matter.

As a result, the fans have been left in the dark while poor Slot has been left to fend off the incessant questions from reporters about the superstars with the expiring contracts.

It's long been assumed/hoped that agreements would be reached, particularly with Van Dijk and Salah. There have even been rumours on Merseyside that the deals are already done, but have been kept secret in order to avoid piling on the pressure on Alexander-Arnold, who is clearly giving serious consideration to joining Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid.

However, Van Dijk dismissed such talk after Liverpool's Champions League loss to PSG, revealing that he still had "no idea" whether he would sign an extension.

"Genuinely," he insisted while surrounded by reporters at Anfield, "I have no idea at the moment. It is not on hold. Nothing is on hold... Everyone knows there are some conversations behind the scenes, but that is about it. At the moment, I don't even know what will happen next year. If anyone says they do know, they are lying to your face."

There's certainly no reason to disbelieve Van Dijk - or doubt the Dutchman when he says that his "full focus" is on Liverpool's 10 remaining games of the 2024-25 campaign. Van Dijk hasn't allowed the constant contractual enquiries affect his form up until this point - so it's unlikely to suddenly become an issue at the most important part of the season.

As Slot said last month, "Virgil wants, like all the other players, to make this a great year and he deserves every compliment he gets. He's been outstanding for this club for so many years and since I've been working here, he's been outstanding for me." And one of the main reasons why Liverpool are presently 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Salah is obviously a shoo-in to win Premier League Player of the Year because of his sensational numbers in terms of goals and assists. The Egyptian winger has unquestionably been Liverpool's difference-maker. Van Dijk, though, is the foundation on which their title charge has been constructed, the defensive colossus that can always be relied upon.

At 33 years of age, he's played every minute of every Premier League game so far this season - which only makes his contractual situation all the more baffling, given he clearly remains as reliable as he is influential. Indeed, Van Dijk is utterly integral to the way in which Liverpool play, absolutely fundamental to their tactical approach with and without the ball.

As well as being his usual dominant self in the air (89 aerial duels won), he'd completed more passes than any other player in England's top flight (2078) heading into the weekend, and ranked joint-third among centre-backs for successful long passes (106).

Slot was obviously very familiar with Van Dijk's many attributes before he replaced Klopp as Liverpool boss last summer, but the former Feyenoord coach has even admitted himself that he was taken aback by his compatriot's skillset, partly because he was influenced by the constant debate surrounding Van Dijk in their native Netherlands.

"Everybody here in England would tell you that Virgil is the best defender in the world," Slot told Gary Lineker during an interview on Football Focus earlier this year. "In Holland, he got a bit more criticism than he gets over here. So, I was, in a very positive way, surprised how good he was on the ball and how he could play football through the lines.

"From the first day, I was like 'Wow, this is definitely another level that I'm used to!'"

Van Dijk is not infallible, of course. No defender is - or ever has been - and the Netherlands international undeniably had some issues with PSG's fantastically fluid front three over the course of their two-legged tie with Liverpool.

Wayne Rooney even singled him out for blame for the only goal in Tuesday's 1-0 loss at Anfield, and Van Dijk will face another stern examination of his ability to continue coping with the game's finest forwards on Sunday, when he'll go up against Alexander Isak, a speedy striker that has hurt Liverpool in the past and is now believed to be top of their summer transfer wishlist.

However, as Van Dijk pointed out while sitting in the Wembley dressing room with a Carabao Cup winners' medal draped around his neck just over a year ago, plenty of pundits thought he was "finished" before that particular final - and he proved them wrong in the most glorious fashion possible.

We've seen nothing since then to suggest that his powers are on the wane. On the contrary, he's now perfectly placed to lift two more trophies before the season's end, and there's no denying that picking up a second league title in particular would seriously strengthen his case to be considered "the greatest centre-back we've ever seen in the Premier League".

Everyone will have their own view on that particular debate, of course, and there's still a lot of work to be done over the next month or so, starting at Wembley - but one thing is already beyond question: whenever Van Dijk does bid a fond farewell to Anfield, he will do so as a legitimate Liverpool legend.