Virgil van Dijk admits Mohamed Salah may have been affected by the discussion over his contract last season - but believes the Liverpool striker is again playing with "a free mind".
Salah was in outstanding form in the Community Shield win over Manchester City on Saturday, scoring a penalty and having a hand in the Reds' two other goals in a 3-1 triumph.
Having netted 27 goals by the end of February last season, the Egyptian scored only four times in Liverpool 's final 20 games after talk intensified over his Anfield future as he approached the final 12 months of his deal at the club.
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Salah, though, ended the speculation by signing an extended contract at the start of July, and Van Dijk has already noticed a change in the winger's performances.
“I think he already showed his level already for the last three years," said the Dutchman. "He’s under the microscope all of the time, he created that himself, he’s such a good player but he shows that consistently all the time in my opinion.
"At the end of the season, from maybe April until the end, there was a lot of talk about the contract and stuff, we’re all human beings and maybe that affected him a little bit unfortunately. Now everything is sorted, he’s playing with a free mind, he’s happy to be here and I think everyone else is happy too."
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