Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has played down fears over Virgil van Dijk joining him in leaving Anfield at the end of the season. Club captain Van Dijk suggested that he did not know if he would be part of Liverpool’s plans after Klopp’s departure in the summer.
Asked if he sees himself at Liverpool beyond Klopp’s reign, Van Dijk intriguingly responded: “That’s a big question. Well, I don’t know.”
It has been reported that the Dutchman will see who replaces the man who brought him to Liverpool before deciding his own future. However, Klopp, who last week announced his shock decision to leave at the end of the season, insists everything is ‘stable’ and has urged supporters to remain ‘calm’ at a time of turbulence for the club.
Asked about concerns that Van Dijk might leave, Klopp said: “No, I don’t think so. It’s completely normal. It’s clear the outside world will not give you a second to process. A week ago no-one knew about my situation.
“Still 18 months on their contracts and no-one asked. No-one has to worry.
“Write what you want, the club is stable. Everything will be fine, I’m 100 per-cent sure. I would recommend to stay calm.
“Very often the fans’ concerns are not as big as you might think. You under-estimate the intelligence of our supporters.”
Meanwhile, Klopp said there is no pressure on Mohamed Salah to recover from a hamstring injury. The winger suffered the problem playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
With Egypt now out of the tournament, Liverpool do not need to worry about sending Salah back to Ivory Coast. It had been agreed with the nation’s medical team that he would receive treatment on Merseyside before travelling back, should Egypt remain in the competition.
Klopp said: “There was no pressure on him other than wanting to get fit as quickly as possible anyway. We don’t rush. If you could rush the healing process, Thiago wouldn’t be out for 10 months.
“Mo is not ready. Out for this game [against Chelsea], out for the next. It could have been worse but he is not available at the moment.”
Salah is another player whose Liverpool future is uncertain beyond the end of the season. The 31-year-old – who has scored 18 goals this season and is a major reason behind Liverpool sitting top of the Premier League – has had interest from Saudi Arabia since the summer.
Liverpool were able to bat away record-breaking bids for Salah before the start of the campaign. However, the former Roma star will enter the final year of his deal in July and Liverpool will stand in a far weaker negotiating position.
