Salah’s Liverpool legacy cannot be replicated, says captain Van Dijk

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says the club cannot replace Mohamed Salah with another player of equivalent value, but insists the rest of the squad must now take greater responsibility following the Egyptian’s departure.

Salah left Liverpool at the end of last season, bringing an end to a hugely successful spell at Anfield. Van Dijk, speaking to Men in Blazers on YouTube, said the club should recognise the scale of what Salah contributed while accepting that it must move forward.

“Do I miss Mohamed Salah? Nothing lasts forever, and of course you remember Mohamed Salah, which is completely deserved, because I don’t think we will ever be able to replace a player of that value, in the way he performed and what he gave to the club, and in my opinion that is a good thing,” said the Netherlands defender.

Van Dijk also referred to Andy Robertson, who has likewise moved on, as another player who played a major role in Liverpool’s achievements.

“The same applies to Andy Robertson, and of course we have had players in the past who were absolutely fundamental to the success we achieved,” he added. “That is life, and you simply have to move on and adapt, while others have to take responsibility and step forward.”

Liverpool are aiming to challenge for the Premier League title, although Van Dijk acknowledged the strength shown by Arsenal last season and the depth available in their current squad.

“As Liverpool captain and as a player in the team, I want to compete for the Premier League title, but you also have to be realistic, and we saw how strong Arsenal were last year,” he said. “We saw how consistent they were, and of course, if you look at their squad at the moment, they also have good depth.”

Van Dijk believes Liverpool possess enough quality to compete, but warned that they will need to improve significantly on their performance last season.

“Looking at myself and looking at our team, I feel we definitely have the quality to compete for the Premier League title, but we have to perform much better than we did last year, and that is a fact,” he said.

Reflecting on the previous campaign, Van Dijk described it as unacceptable by Liverpool’s standards.

“What did I learn from last season? I think the most important thing in all of that is that we had a season that was completely unacceptable for a Liverpool player and by Liverpool standards,” he said. “Of course, you cannot be perfect all the time in life.”

He added that the decisive test would be how the squad responded to that disappointment.

“You cannot always be at the top, but what matters is how you react to that,” Van Dijk said. “It is down to us and what we do every day now, and we are starting from zero again. Everything is open to us, the competitions are waiting for us, and that is exciting.”

Asked to describe training under Iraola in one word, Van Dijk replied: “Intense football. Yes, things have been good. A lot of work, a lot of training sessions, tactical sessions and small-sided games. Yes, things have been good.”

Van Dijk was also asked whether Salah and Robertson’s departures had placed an additional burden on the remaining players.

“Well, it is still very early in the season, but the truth is that you have to do that,” he said. “You cannot shy away from taking responsibility, and you cannot not want to take it either. It is down to the others to step up and take responsibility.”

Watch the full interview on YouTube via Men in Blazers.