Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard calls on Mohamed Salah to end the standoff with Arne Slot, urging Virgil van Dijk to act as mediator between the two.
The escalating war of words at Anfield has prompted a legendary voice to call for intervention.
Gerrard, Liverpool’s iconic former captain, has publicly urged the current skipper, Van Dijk, to step in and broker peace between a disgruntled Salah and manager, Slot.
Gerrard’s plea comes in the wake of Salah’s explosive post-match comments following Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Leeds, where he was an unused substitute for a third straight game.
The Egyptian forward claimed he felt “thrown under the bus” and that his relationship with Slot had broken down entirely.
Steven Gerrard urges Virgil van Dijk to sort out Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot’s dispute
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While acknowledging Salah’s frustration, Gerrard was clear that the public nature of the attack crossed a line.
“He’s obviously really upset he’s not playing, which I respect,” Gerrard told TNT Sports. “The couple of lines about throwing people under the bus is wrong. He needs to reverse a little bit away from that.”
The solution, according to Gerrard, lies with the club’s on-field leader. He explicitly called for Van Dijk to take charge of the situation.
“He needs to deal with that with the manager,” Gerrard stated. “This needs Virgil van Dijk to go, ‘How are we sorting this out for the benefit of not the club, or the team, but the fans?'”
Drawing from his own vast experience in the Liverpool dressing room, Gerrard likened the rift to past conflicts, recalling Luis Suarez’s fallout with Brendan Rodgers over a decade ago. He appealed for perspective, suggesting emotions had clouded judgment.
“We’ve all had head losses as players. We’ve all done emotional things,” he said. “And I know in time when this all calms, Mo will go, ‘I shouldn’t have said that, I maybe shouldn’t have said that, I was a bit emotional, I was a bit hasty.’”
Despite the turmoil, Gerrard’s message was one of necessity. He firmly believes Liverpool’s path out of their current situation on the ground, with just four wins in 15 matches, still runs through their star forward.
“At the end of the day, Liverpool football club needs Mo Salah back playing well, back scoring goals, because he is the best player, the best scorer, and he will help them get out of this,” Gerrard asserted.
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Glen Hoddle not as sympathetic towards Mohammed Salah as Steven Gerrard
However, not all shared Gerrard’s sympathetic tone with former England manager Glenn Hoddle, criticising Salah’s approach.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Hoddle said:
“It should have been done privately… He’s not thinking about the club, he’s thinking about himself.”
As Salah prepares to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations, the clock is ticking.
The standoff remains unresolved, with Slot having excluded Salah from the Champions League squad that won in Milan.
Gerrard’s directive to Van Dijk underscores the critical need for internal reconciliation.
Whether the Dutch captain can bridge this damaging divide remains to be seen, but it may end up defining the second half of Liverpool’s season.
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