‘Knowing Mo…’ – Virgil van Dijk offers Liverpool fans hope of seeing Salah at Anfield once more

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Van Dijk hopeful of quick recovery for Salah

The Liverpool captain said (via The Independent): “There will be a medical assessment and then that will determine what the issue is going to be. I know he is doing everything in his power to be back on the pitch as soon as possible.

“If you get injured at this stage of the season, especially in the situation he is in [when] there is only two more home games left for him, it’s a combination of feelings that go through your mind when you go off.

“The reality is he has to get scanned and assessed. Hopefully he won’t be long but at this point I don’t know. Maybe he’s back next week, maybe not. I have no idea. He will get the send-off regardless.

“I don’t think that is the thing at this point; we shouldn’t think too far ahead. Knowing Mo, he is a quick healer with the right people around us, and let’s see.”

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Hopefully Salah’s injury is less severe than it first seemed

Egypt national team director Ibrahim Hassan cited a probable four-week absence for Salah, which at best would make him touch-and-go as to whether or not he’ll return for Liverpool’s final-day fixture at home to Brentford on 24 May.

That projected timeline could change depending on the scan results, and that Van Dijk said that ‘maybe’ the winger will be ‘back next week’ could suggest that the problem isn’t as severe as it seemed on initial viewing.

The captain’s description of his teammate as a ‘quick healer’ also alludes to a robust fitness record which has seen the 33-year-old miss just over a dozen matches through injury in nine seasons at Anfield, a remarkable reliability considering how much football he’s played for club and country in that time.

Along with Andy Robertson, Salah is guaranteed a rousing send-off after the Brentford game whether or not he plays that afternoon, but it’d make the occasion much more special if the Egyptian King is fit enough to feature, even if it’s only a token substitute appearance in the final few minutes of the match.