"There's more parties to this situation" - Virgil van Dijk confirms he held important talk with Liverpool star Mohamed Salah after explosive comments

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has confirmed that he held talks with teammate Mohamed Salah after his explosive comments last week. He was unwilling to disclose the details, but said that the squad is united once again.

Speaking to journalists in the mixed zone after the 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield, Van Dijk said he spoke to Salah as he would have with any other player in the squad. He hopes to see the Egyptian back in the squad after AFCON and said (via talkSPORT):

"Of course I spoke to him. I speak about everything with him. Of course, I told him I want him to stay. The rest I'm not going to tell you. Well, first and foremost, it's not about me, it's about the rest of the team. I speak to Mo, I speak to almost all the players. Obviously I hear, observe, and that's the most important thing. If you feel like it could be a problem within the squad, and it could affect the performances, then obviously you have a different story. But I think we showed this week that we are absolutely united."

"And we go forward as one. Mo is going to the Africa Cup. We all hope he's going to be absolutely successful there, and we all hope that he's coming back and be important for us for the rest of the season. But, on the other side of it, we all know football, we have no idea what's going to happen. I hope that he'll stay, because he's one of my leaders. He's very important, and still is. You see today he got another assist. He's still important for the Football Club."

Mohamed Salah slammed Liverpool and Arne Slot last week, accusing them of throwing him under the bus and benching him in matches. He was dropped from the squad to face Inter Milan during the week, but returned to the bench after talks with the manager on Friday, December 12.

Virgil van Dijk hopes to see Mohamed Salah back in Liverpool colors

Virgil van Dijk has said he wants Mohamed Salah back in the Liverpool squad, as he sees the winger as one of the leaders in the dressing room. He wished the Egyptian well for AFCON and said (via talkSPORT):

"I wish him absolutely all the best there. And come back, hopefully. I have no control on any of that. I would love to have him around because he is one of the leaders, but obviously the matter of fact is that he's going to AFCON."

Liverpool will be without Salah from this week, as he has left the country to join the national team for AFCON training.