Virgil van Dijk says Mohamed Salah has reacted to Arne Slot leaving him out of the Liverpool starting XI twice in a row in exactly the way that he should have.
Salah was taken out of the team for the 2-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday and then came off the bench at half-time in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland, replacing the ineffective Cody Gakpo. Slot now has a decision to make on the Egyptian for games with Leeds United and Brighton, before he heads off to AFCON.
"Like he should be: disappointed," Van Dijk told reporters when asked about how Salah took the news that he would be left on the bench. "But we need him and he will still be important like he has been.
"He is still a fantastic player. We still have to remember there is a reason why he has been so successful at the club and we have to respect that. 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. But it's onto the next now."
It can be argued that Liverpool has looked more solid at the back without Salah in the team, but that isn't necessarily directly because he isn't there.
Virgil van Dijk during the Premier League game between Liverpool and Sunderland.
Virgil van Dijk during the Premier League game between Liverpool and Sunderland. (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Joe Gomez has come into the side and started the last two games. He has offered a more robust option in the right-back position, but that has been offset somewhat by a lack of creativity going forward.
Liverpool needed a superb Alexander Isak finish to break the deadlock against West Ham United and it then struggled to create many clear-cut chances in the tie with Sunderland.
Salah, though he isn't defensively minded, can offer some added stardust in the final third. And that even he can be dropped from the starting XI could serve as a reminder that no one's place is safe unless they play well.
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"That's always been the case," Van Dijk insisted. "It's not like you have unlimited credit; everyone has to perform. 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.
"But like I said with Flo (Florian Wirtz), we are all trying to find consistency. He needs us to be in our best shape and we need him and that's what we are all trying to find."
Liverpool travels to Leeds United and then hosts Brighton a week on Saturday. Those two fixtures, plus the trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League, are the final three Salah can play in before he could miss up to eight matches due to his AFCON involvement.