Virgil van Dijk says Mohamed Salah being left out of Liverpool’s starting lineup for the second game in a row shows that no player, no matter how big, is guaranteed a place in the team.
Salah stayed on the bench for the win at West Ham and started as a substitute again in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland — the first time this has happened since he joined Liverpool. He came on in the second half but didn’t have much impact and hasn’t scored in his last five games.
So far this season, Salah has only scored four Premier League goals, which is a big drop compared to the 29 he scored last year.
When asked if Salah being benched sent a message, Van Dijk said it’s simple: everyone has to perform, and nobody gets endless chances. But he also said Salah is still a top player and will remain important for the team.
Van Dijk also praised new signing Florian Wirtz, whose shot led to Liverpool’s late equaliser. He said Wirtz is a world-class talent who just needs time to settle and not get distracted by outside pressure or statistics.
