"He's more important to keep than Salah" - Danny Murphy urges Arne Slot to convince Liverpool man to stay at the club after his summer arrival

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has stated that keeping defender Virgil van Dijk at the club would be more important than keeping Mohamed Salah for Arne Slot if he's appointed as the new Reds manager. While Liverpool are yet to make an official announcement, they reportedly reached an agreement with Slot last week.

Several reports also suggest that Salah could be on his way out of Anfield along with manager Jurgen Klopp.

Slot, currently in charge of Feyenoord, will be tasked with making key decisions around players' futures at the Merseyside club. And as per Murphy, it'll benefit Slot to prioritize Van Dijk over Salah even as both players are extremely instrumental to the club's growth.

Just recently, Van Dijk, who is going into the final year of his contract at Liverpool, stated that he's 'very happy' at the club.

"I am very happy here. I love the club, and you can see that as well. It’s a big part of my life already," the Dutch defender said (via beIN SPORTS).

Murphy responded to Van Dijk's remark while speaking to talkSPORT and said:

"I wouldn’t say 100% [that he’ll stay] because you never know in football but that’s as positive a statement I’ve heard from him so far. I actually think he’s more important to keep than Salah. Ideally, you keep them both, of course. But I think he’s the one."

"Van Dijk makes players better around him. He’s got an unbelievable presence and he’s calm, he helps everyone around him. When he plays, they all play better. He is more important to keep, for me. That’s the first thing Slot needs to do when he comes in, he needs to try and reassure him and get him on board. Of course, they’re both Dutch so that helps," he added.

Vigil van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 and has helped the club win one Premier League title and one Champions League among other honors.

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The Premier League title may have slipped away from Liverpool's hands

The three-horse race for the Premier League title has now come down to two contenders. Despite a 4-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (May 5), Liverpool look miles away from the top spot.

The Reds have 78 points after 36 games, while Arsenal have 83 from 36 games. Manchester City, meanwhile, have 82 points but have played a game less. Should Liverpool win their remaining games, they can only muster 84 points.

For the Merseyside giants to potentially win the title, they'll have to hope that the Gunners and City lose their remaining games while they win theirs. The probability of either Arsenal or Manchester City losing all of their remaining games looks pretty dim, showcased by the kind of form the two clubs are in.

Liverpool will next take on Aston Villa on Monday, May 13.