Virgil van Dijk has issued a blunt warning to Liverpool over the challenge of replacing Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson as the duo bring an end to their Reds careers
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has warned the club about the task of replacing Salah and Robertson(Image: Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk has issued a stark warning to Liverpool over the difficulty of replacing long-serving key players Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson.
The duo have just two matches left before bringing their career at Anfield to a close. In March, Salah confirmed that “the day has come” for his departure announcing he will leave the club after nine seasons. Although he signed a contract extension in April 2025 that was due to run until 2027, both parties have agreed to terminate the deal a year early.
Robertson is also set to exit Anfield when his contract expires at the end of the season, closing out a nine-year spell since arriving in 2017. The Scotland captain leaves having won every major honour at club level, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League. Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso’s response to Chelsea approach emerges after Arne Slot statement on Liverpool future.
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The Reds are expected to invest heavily in the transfer market as they look to sign a high-profile replacement for Salah, while the club could turn to a familiar defensive option in Kostas Tsimikas when he returns from a season-long loan at AS Roma.
Van Dijk has stressed the scale of the task ahead of replacing Salah and Robertson, highlighting the importance both players have had in the club’s recent success. “There is a transition going on, and influential players are going to leave but that was always going to happen” he told Sky Sports.
“There’s going to be a day when I leave. It’s going to happen, and it’s down to everyone around us to make sure the changes aren’t as big as you probably expect.
“But the influential people we speak about, in terms of Mo, I’m not sure you can replace him in terms of the quality he had. But someone has to get there and be his own version of himself and show the quality. The same goes for Andy Robertson, he’s been one of the best left-backs in my time at Liverpool.
Liverpool will say farewell to Salah and Robertson in just over a week(Image: Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
“To replace that takes a little bit of time because of the standards they have set, the responsibility over all those years and what it takes to play for Liverpool. It’s a challenge, but you should embrace it and use it as fuel.”
Rumors had also been swirling about a potential exit for the Liverpool captain with recent reports linking him with a transfer to Galatasaray. Reports from Turkey have suggested that Van Dijk could be among several senior players to leave Liverpool with Alisson Becker also being linked with a move to Juventus.
However, the Liverpool skipper remains under contract at Anfield until next year and has previously indicated he has no intention of leaving the club this summer. “It has been ups and downs,” Van Dijk said reflecting on this season. “Some wins have felt good. Winning feels good. But we can’t build on that and it has been the story of our season. That is what is difficult.”
He went on to add: “There will be a lot of work that has to be done going into next season. When I am back from the World Cup, I will go into it. But there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes.”