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Virgil van Dijk has backed Mohamed Salah to win his race against time to pull on the Liverpool jersey one last time before his Anfield departure.
The Egyptian superstar left the pitch in tears during the weekend’s win over Crystal Palace, sparking fears that a legendary career on Merseyside has come to a premature end.
Van Dijk maintains hope for Anfield legend
The Liverpool captain refuses to accept that Salah has already made his last appearance for the club.
Despite the bleak outlook with Salah limping off, Van Dijk believes the 33-year-old’s strength to recover could see him return for the final domestic games.
“I hope so,” the defender said when asked if Salah would play again. “There will be a medical assessment and then that will determine what the problem is going to be. I know he is doing everything in his power to be back on the field as soon as possible.”
An emotional exit for the Egyptian king
The timing of the injury is particularly cruel as Liverpool only have four games left of their campaign.
With Salah set to leave when his contract expires in June, the prospect of him missing out on a stadium farewell is a heavy burden for the squad. Van Dijk admitted the situation was weighing on his team-mate’s mind as he left the pitch on Saturday.
“If you get injured at this stage of the season, especially in the situation he’s in, there’s only two more home games left for him, it’s a combination of emotions that go through your mind when you go off,” Van Dijk explained.
“The reality is he needs to be scanned, assessed, hopefully he won’t be out long, but at this point I don’t know. Maybe he’ll be back next week, maybe not. I have no idea.”
A guaranteed expulsion regardless of fitness
Salah’s legacy at Anfield is already set in stone, with 257 goals in 440 games, making him the third highest scorer in the club’s history.
Regardless of whether he wins his fitness battle, Van Dijk is confident supporters will give the three-time PFA Player of the Year the tribute he deserves for his trophy-laden nine-year stint.
“He will get sent off regardless,” Van Dijk added. “I don’t think that’s the case at this point, we shouldn’t think too far ahead. Knowing that Mo is a fast healer with the right people around us, and let’s see.”
The Reds are looking to secure Champions League football
Salah concerns aside, Liverpool’s win over Palace was a positive step towards securing Champions League qualification.
The win allowed the Reds to climb to fourth in the Premier League table and only behind Manchester United on goals scored, although their arch-rivals still have a game in hand. While Salah’s potential absence looms large, the captain was quick to praise others moving up,
“It’s important for Alex to get goals as a striker and it was a great goal,” said the Dutch national.
“In terms of what I’ve seen of him, everyone knows and sees and experiences as teammates how excellent he is. It’s about getting games, confidence, but of course scoring goals as a striker – that’s the main trigger for him,” Van Djik added.
“I’m not worried about him at all. We want more than goals from him and that’s what he can bring and he’s just got to keep going and keep working, keep staying fit and keep being important to the football club because I think he wants to and he already is.”
