Gary Lineker has given his thoughts on Liverpool’s “main man” amid a debate surrounding Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
It is clear that much of the success Jurgen Klopp has had at Anfield is largely down to these two players, who have transformed the club.
Prior to their arrival’s, the Reds were hopeful of finishing in the top four and were on the verge of falling out of contention amid the growing powers of Manchester City, Chelsea and even Tottenham.
But in the past three years, Liverpool have shot into the stratosphere in the Premier League and are the only true competitors to City’s domination.
That would not be possible if not for Salah’s incredible prowess in front of goal or Van Dijk’s defensive acumen at the back.
However, who is more important to the side? Who do Liverpool miss more when they are not playing?
Without Salah’s goals, the Reds would have struggled much more to be where they are yet the absence of Van Dijk was badly felt last year as they nearly missed out on Champions League football.
Match of the Day pundit Lineker has weighed in on the debate, appearing to side with Salah - who was called “the main man” by Van Dijk in a clip of training at Liverpool.
In response to the video on Twitter, the former Tottenham striker said: “Imagine how good you must be to be called “the main man” by someone as brilliant as Virgil van Dijk.”
Salah is back in training just two days after Egypt’s defeat to Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
The Pharaohs were downed on penalties after his Liverpool buddy Sadio Mane scored the decisive spot-kick before he even got the chance.
And it means that Salah is available for selection for Thursday night’s match against Leicester as the Reds try to gun down City in the Premier League.
Mane, however, will not as he continues to celebrate his country’s historic AFCON win - the first his nation has ever won.
"It means the world to him, it means the world to his people, it means the world to Senegal,” Klopp said.
"We respect that a lot and would never consider calling back him from there. Let them do what they do in the moment because they deserve it."
