Liverpool Dutch defender and captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted that Egyptian teammate Mohamed Salah's absence from the starting lineup for two consecutive matches should serve as a reminder to players that no one is guaranteed their place in the team.
Salah remained on the bench and did not play in Sunday's match against West Ham, which Liverpool won 2-0. It was the second consecutive match he missed the starting XI, the first time in his career at Anfield when he was also on the bench for the match against Sunderland.
The player came on in the second half but struggled to make an impact and has now gone five matches without a goal.
Despite Salah scoring 250 goals in 8 seasons, he has only scored two goals since last September, and his poor form has reflected on the team as a whole.
In response to a question about whether Salah's exclusion from the starting lineup was a message to the players' dressing room, Van Dijk said: "It has always been like that, you don't have an absolute guarantee. Everyone has to perform."
He added in his comments, relayed by the British news agency PA Media: "Salah has always been performing with the team, but it's the manager's decision in the last two games, and we all want what's best for our club."
He continued: "I am very confident that Salah is still a big part of what we are trying to achieve because he is a fantastic player, and he has shown that consistently."
Van Dijk said: "But we are all trying to find that harmony and it needs us to be at our best, and we need him to be at his best too. That's what we are all trying to get to."
He added: "Salah is still a fantastic player, and we always have to remember there is a reason why he has been so successful with the club, and we have to respect that."
Van Dijk also said: "I want him to stay with us, as one of the leaders of the team, and I am not worried. He is frustrated, but that's very normal. If you are not frustrated when you don't play two games on the spin in the starting XI, then there is a problem."
