Graeme Souness has namechecked two Liverpool players who he believes are now in ‘decline’ at Anfield.
In April of this year, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk both signed two-year contract extensions for the Reds, with the long-serving duo having been due to depart as free agents in the summer for most of last season.
The Egyptian will have just turned 35 when his current deal expires in June 2027, while the club captain will be a week out from his 36th birthday, with the LFC duo well into the twilight of their careers by then.
Souness concerned by Van Dijk and Salah ‘decline’
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Souness singled out the Dutch defender’s performance in the Community Shield in August as a sign that his best days are behind him, while also citing similar concerns about our number 11.
The former Reds captain and manager said: “Virgil van Dijk is now 34 and he made two mistakes in the Community Shield – he was at fault for both goals just by being six inches too late.
“There is no doubt about it, at 34 the decline has started – he is still a wonderful player, but he will be on that slope and the same with Mohamed Salah – that worries me.”
Van Dijk and Salah have dropped off, but both remain vital
Van Dijk and Salah have both set such consistently high standards at Liverpool for so long that, even when putting in 7/10 performances, they’re perceived to be having a bad game.
They both remain crucial players for Arne Slot’s side, although it’d be fair to claim that neither has been close to their best so far this season.
Souness highlighted the marginal reduction in pace which has prevented the centre-back from stopping goals he’d have cut out in his prime, though while he’s part of a collective defensive malaise this term, he’s also had to compensate for the errors of players alongside him.
Salah has only netted five goals for Liverpool this term and it’s nearly the end of November. At the same stage in 2024/25, he’d scored 12 times in all competitions and supplied 10 assists, with his output sharply declining from 12 months ago.
There’s been plenty of revisionism from pundits who’ve claimed that Anfield chiefs were short-sighted in extending the duo’s contracts. Isn’t it amusing how different the narrative was throughout last season when it felt as though the pair might leave in the summer?
Giving Van Dijk and Salah new deals was a no-brainer, considering what they’d done for the club not just historically but in the recent past.
They’re both having a disappointing campaign by their standards, but if LFC are to emerge from their current rut and enjoy a satisfying season, we’re sure that both will be vital contributors to that success.
It’s the same for almost every player they decline with age. Van dijk 34 and Salah 33. Where was the long term planning of the recruitment in the summer then .
Instead of spending 116 million on a lightweight attacking midfielder we didn’t need why didn’t we buy long term replacements for our two most important players. You can’t blame the players for getting older, you must blame Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes and slot who had a say in the 450 million spend. Poor planning from Liverpool football club.
Should Salah do what van dijk is doing and come on tv on the problems at Liverpool. According to the voice of Liverpool football club Jamie carragher , Salah only speaks out when he wants a new contract. You could say the same about Jamie carragher, he’s only ever spoken out of the failures of FSG when they tried to get the super league. And only then because his job was on the line at sky. You’ve got to laugh at these champagne socialists, they act like God, they certainly don’t represent most football fans. Carragher net worth 25 million, Gary Neville net worth 75 million, one doesn’t like people who voted for Brexit and the other doesn’t like English people waving English flags. Completely woke. It’s why they haven’t been sacked by woke sky.
We can’t simply blame 2 of them. If Liverpool didn’t think they are good enough, they wouldn’t be offered new contracts.