'I want him to stay' - Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk reveals Mohamed Salah conversation after bombshell interview that threw forward's Anfield future into question

A late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty was enough for the Reds to claim a 1-0 win at Inter in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Salah was left at home for the trip to Milan following his Elland Road outburst last Saturday, during which he said: "Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame."

Salah returned to the Liverpool squad at the weekend as the Reds claimed a 2-0 victory over Brighton, earning just their third win from their last 11 Premier League matches. A Hugo Ekitike brace was enough to secure all the spoils on home turf at the weekend, while Salah came off the bench following an injury to Joe Gomez to provide the assist for the Frenchman's second to confirm the result against the Seagulls.

This game was Salah's last appearance for Liverpool before he links up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations later this month, and could prove his final outing for the Reds with a January exit reportedly on the cards. However, Van Dijk revealed after the Brighton win that he has told Salah that he "wants him to stay" at the club.

When asked whether he has spoken with Salah, the Liverpool skipper said: "Of course I speak to him. I speak about everything with him. Of course I've told him I want him to stay. The rest I'm not going to tell you.

"I wish him all the best and come back hopefully. I have no control over that. He is one of the leaders. I would love to have him around because he is one of the leaders. But obviously the fact is he is going to AFCON. I wish him absolutely all the best. We will be in contact over the next days and weeks, we always are. And then let's see."

Salah suggested that a breakdown in relationship between himself and head coach Arne Slot was one of the reasons the forward has questioned his long-term future at the club. However, Van Dijk believes Slot has dealt with the saga in the right way, adding, "I think he's handled the situation very well. Calm in his own way. It is a very tricky situation.

"There is a lot of noise and pressure from the outside world, obviously and rightly so because we've not been up or close to the standard of last season but we are human beings and everyone reacts in a different way.

"But personally looking at it and the conversations we've had on a daily basis, I think he's handled it very well. He's at a club where it is a together club and that's how it's been before our time at the club and that is something we have to keep going.

"We go through the good times together as a team and fanbase. And when difficult moments arise we also have to stick together. This moment in time is a very good moment to see how everyone responds and the manager did perfectly so far."

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Saturday's victory over Brighton ended what's been a testing period for Liverpool. And reflecting on how challenging the week has been for the club, the Reds skipper said: "That is something behind the scenes that we have to deal with but the performances speak for themselves, that we are united and that is the most important thing.

"The mood in the dressing room has always been very good, obviously it can go down in terms of performances if you win or lose but the main thing I see is that we have the willingness to turn this around and the hunger and the energy to do so.

"Obviously it is what happens between the white lines over 95 minutes. We know the season is very long and we want to be consistent. We have to keep going and stay calm."

Liverpool's recent upturn in form has eased pressure on Slot, who at one point was destined for the Anfield exit after a run of just four wins from 15 in all competitions. And the Dutch boss will hope to make it three wins on the spin when the defending champions travel to Tottenham next weekend.

The Reds then see out 2025 with the welcome of Premier League basement side Wolves, who came perilously close to securing a result at league leaders Arsenal on Saturday night.