Captain Van Dijk wants 'so important' Salah to stay

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he "always wants" Mohamed Salah to stay at the club after the Egyptian starred in their FA Cup win over Brighton.

The 33-year-old scored and provided an assist as Liverpool claimed a 3-0 win to move into the fifth round.

In December, Salah said he had been "thrown under the bus" by the club and that his relationship with head coach Arne Slot had broken down amid a difficult run of form.

However, since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in January, the 33-year-old has started every Liverpool game, scoring twice and making four assists.

Salah's current deal expires in 2027 and there is the possibility of him moving on this summer after nine years at Liverpool.

Al-Ittihad tried to sign Salah in 2023 and the Saudi Pro League would still be interested if Salah is available.

Van Dijk pointed to Salah still breaking records for Liverpool - his assist against Sunderland last week means he has the joint-most Premier League assists for the club, level with Steven Gerrard on 92.

"Mo is still a leader and important for me, as a captain, to have around and to have him on the pitch and his presence benefits the team," Van Dijk, 34, said.

"He always gives the team more than goals. There's obviously a lot of focus on his goals at the moment because he puts the standards so extremely high, so when he doesn't score as much he gets criticised."