Manchester City will lose its experienced captain this summer when Bernardo Silva departs at the end of his contract, and Liverpool must ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to it
10:03, 06 Apr 2026Updated 10:03, 06 Apr 2026
Bernardo Silva and Mohamed Salah will both exit the Premier League this summer(Image: 2026 CameraSport)
The Premier League will see two of its legends depart this summer, as Mohamed Salah and Bernardo Silva say goodbye to Liverpool and Manchester City respectively.
Salah and Bernardo arrived in England in the same summer, and in every year since, one of them has ended the season as an English champion. Anfield enemy Bernardo has six Premier League winner’s medals to Salah’s two, and although Salah won’t be adding to his tally next month, there is still an outside chance that Bernardo will.
Bernardo’s exit will see City lose its captain, but that is nothing new for Pep Guardiola’s squad, which has seen Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho, David Silva and Vincent Kompany all leave on the Catalan’s watch.
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As for Liverpool, although Salah is not the captain – and although he has endured a disappointing season – his exit will leave a gaping hole in the squad in terms of experience.
It is therefore imperative that Liverpool does not allow Virgil van Dijk to follow Salah out of the door, irrespective of the indifferent form he has been in this term.
Van Dijk, like Salah, has been way off the level that he has shown in every other season since he joined the club, and his penalty concession against Manchester City on Saturday was the fourth time he has given a penalty away this campaign.
However, although Van Dijk has not been at his best, that is a criticism that can be leveled at virtually every member of the squad, which suggests that it is not absolutely clear-cut that his poorer performances are age-related.
Virgil van Dijk is having a tough season(Image: Getty Images)
Thiago Silva played for Chelsea until he was nearly 40, and Van Dijk’s playing style is not dissimilar to the Brazilian’s.
At his best – and when he is playing in a team that is performing well – Van Dijk is so in control that he doesn’t need to be overly physical, and he can let his quality do the talking.
At 34 years old, he should still have a few good years in him, and also – when Salah’s impending departure is factored in – it could have a seriously detrimental impact on the squad to let so much experience leave in the summer.
Van Dijk is clearly closer to the end of his Liverpool career than he is to the start of it, but he must to be phased out carefully at some point down the line to avoid losing a whole lot of experience from the squad in one go.