Virgil van Dijk believes Mohamed Salah will get a big send-off at Anfield even if his Liverpool career has already come to a premature end.
But the Liverpool captain is convinced his departing teammate will to everything in his power to return before the end of the season and play for the club again.
Salah came off in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace with a hamstring injury, with head coach Arne Slot unsure if he will be back before the end of the campaign.
The 33-year-old will undergo a scan to see the extent of the damage and Van Dijk hopes he will be back.
“I hope so,” said the defender. “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.”
Liverpool have four matches remaining, starting with Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford, with their other trip being to Aston Villa. They are at home to Chelsea on 9 May and Brentford on 24 May, in what had shaped up as Salah’s final game for the club.
“If you get injured at this stage of the season, especially in the situation he is in, 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,” Van Dijk said.
“The reality is he has to get scanned, 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.”
Salah is the third highest scorer in Liverpool’s history, with 257 goals in 440 appearances, and Van Dijk believes his achievements – including winning the Champions League in 2019, the Premier League twice and the PFA Player of the Year award three times – mean he will be celebrated, whether or not he is able to play for the club again.
“He will get the send-off regardless,” he added. “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.”