The Egyptian international remained an unused substitute during Sunday's victory at West Ham and was on the bench for the 1-1 home draw against Sunderland on Wednesday.

This marked the first occasion in his Anfield career that he did not start in consecutive league games.

Salah came on as a substitute in the second half against Sunderland but found it difficult to influence the game and has now gone five matches without scoring.

Salah has netted only four Premier League goals for the struggling defending champions this season, a sharp decline from his tally of 29 last season.

Liverpool captain Van Dijk was questioned after the Sunderland draw if Salah's exclusion was a message to the squad.

"That has always been the case," he responded. "No one has unlimited credit; everyone must deliver.

"Mo has been doing that, but the coach made that choice for the last two matches. We all want what's best for the club.

"I am confident Mo will continue to play a major role in what we aim to achieve because he is a fantastic player and has proven it consistently."

Van Dijk commended playmaker Florian Wirtz, whose shot took a deflection off Sunderland defender Nordi Mukiele to secure a late Liverpool equalizer, placing them eighth in the standings.

The German, who transferred to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen during the summer window for £116 million, is showing promising progress after a challenging start at Anfield.

"There’s a very good reason why a club like ours signed him," Van Dijk commented. "In my opinion, he’s an exceptional, world-class player who can only improve further, but it will require some time.

"He needs to keep a clear head, not get caught up in external opinions whether things are going very well or badly, and avoid getting distracted by statistics.

"Nowadays, many people focus on goals, assists, or clean sheets, but it’s also about what you observe and the contribution you make to the team."