Van Dijk’s comments came after Salah returned to action in Saturday’s Premier League win over Brighton, having been dropped for Liverpool’s recent Champions League trip to Inter Milan following a public outburst after a 3-3 draw with Leeds.

Salah was recalled by head coach Arne Slot and came off the bench in the 26th minute to replace the injured Joe Gomez. He marked his return by delivering the corner from which Hugo Ekitiké scored his second goal. The forward is now set to leave to represent Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, where he could be absent for more than a month.

Speaking after the match, Van Dijk said the situation had not undermined squad unity. “It’s not about me, it’s about the rest of the team,” the Liverpool captain said. “I speak to Mo, I speak to almost all the players. If it affected performances, that would be a different story, but we showed this week that we are united.”

Salah’s departure for the continental tournament could provide space for talks over his long-term future, which remains unresolved. “We hope he will be successful at the Africa Cup of Nations and that he comes back, because that is important for us,” Van Dijk said. “But we all know football and have no idea what will happen. I hope he stays. He is one of my leaders and a very important player for the club.”

Liverpool have won twice since Salah said he felt “thrown under the bus” and claimed he had no relationship with Slot. The Egyptian forward held talks with the head coach on Friday, after which he was reintegrated into matchday plans.

Van Dijk said the squad had handled the episode internally. “That is something behind the scenes that we deal with,” he said. “The performances speak for themselves. The mood in the dressing room has always been good. The season is very long and we want to be consistent. We have to keep going and stay calm.”

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