Virgil van Dijk has discussed Mohamed Salah’s new deal at Liverpool and has offered advice to Darwin Nunez following his big-money move to Anfield.
Salah ended speculation over his future after signing a new three-year deal earlier this summer and began the campaign with a goal as Liverpool beat Manchester City 3-1 to win the Community Shield.
The Egypt international led the Premier League for both goals and assists in 2021/22 and Van Dijk believes a settled Salah is primed for another strong season.
“He’s under the microscope all of the time — he created that himself. He’s such a good player and he shows that all the time,” Van Dijk said, as per the Mail. “At the end of the season, there was a lot of talk about his contract.
“We are all human beings and maybe that affected him a little bit, unfortunately. But he still showed high levels and quality, played with a free mind and he’s happy to be here — everyone is happy to be here.”
Van Dijk also opened up on Nunez’s adaptation to the Premier League, following the forward’s move from Benfica which could reach a club-record £85m.
The Uruguay international came off the bench to score in the win over City at the King Power Stadium and Van Dijk says it is important that Nunez ignores outside noise as he bids to become a success at Liverpool.
“For him it’s the same as me,” said Van Dijk. “The transfer fee is not something you should think about. He just has to keep his head down, work hard and be an important player.
“I don’t speak Spanish, so I don’t speak with him yet! That’s quite difficult at the moment but we have plenty of experienced players who speak to him at any chance that’s possible. He learns a lot in training and sees how we want to play, how we defend and attack.
“He just has to focus on himself and the team. He has to improve, get settled in as quickly as possible and the way to do that is to learn in training.
“He shouldn’t look at what others have to say about his performances. That’s the key to success. If you perform then you’ll be fine. Don’t get distracted.”
