Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has shared his wish of playing alongside captain and friend Virgil Van Dijk for a few more years, hoping Virgil will be next to sign a contract extension at the club. During the post-match interview with Sky Sports after Liverpool beat West Ham 2-1 at Anfield, a relieved Salah said, “I’m glad that we managed to do that (signing his contract) early before the end of the season, and hopefully Virgil will be next.”
The Premier League’s top scorer had a great start to the match at Anfield, coming close to finding the back of the net twice in the first half before providing a delightful assist with the outside of his boot for Luis Diaz’s goal just before the 20th minute. Despite a quiet second half, which saw him taken off for Wataru Endo, Mohamed Salah did enough to win the man of the match with his pace and movement on the ball causing problems for the Hammers in the first half.
The Egyptian was, however, respectful to Virgil Van Dijk by adding to his earlier wishes that he was only hoping Virgil could do what he wanted for his career. He added, “I’m just saying, hopefully. Look, he (Virgil) can do whatever he wants, but I would love to see him here next year, but of course he can choose whatever he wants.”
Van Dijk, captaining the Reds for the 100th time, shared his joy and pride at the opportunity and was also grateful to have scored the match winner. An initial scuffle and misunderstanding between himself and Andy Robertson saw the latter put the ball behind his own net for a West Ham equalizer with 4 minutes left to play. However, Van Dijk rose highest to head home from MacAllister’s corner with an instant response to make up for the earlier error.
Asked what he made of Salah’s comments, Virgil said, “I can tell today that I am proud to captain my 100th game for Liverpool, and it was an emotional day because obviously of the Hillsborough anniversary so that was the main focus. To get 3 points and get us close to all of our dreams. Not only us players, staff, but the whole of everyone that is connected to LFC, and that’s the main thing.”
The 33-year-old defender reminded the media of his love for the club. “Everyone knows how much I love this club, and let’s see what next week will look like,” he concluded.
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