'Very hard' - Everything Liverpool stars have said about Mohamed Salah amid contract bombshell

Approaching December, Mohamed Salah is yet to be formally offered a new contract by Liverpool. This is even after persistent messages from his Anfield team-mates making their thoughts on the matter crystal clear.

The Egyptian dropped this latest revelation in the aftermath of sending the Reds eight points clear at the top of the Premier League with victory against Southampton. There was disappointment in his response, outlining his desire to remain on Merseyside even if at the present moment he is 'more out than in'.

Negotiations are a delicate process with more than just the demands of the player to factor in, though the reaction to no contract offer being on the table at this stage has been resounding.

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Supporters did not take the news well, whilst club legend Jamie Carragher vented his own frustrations at 'selfish' Salah.

As for the 32-year-old's Liverpool team-mates, they have been drip-feeding their responses long before Salah stopped in the mixed zone at St. Mary's on Sunday, and there is a common theme. Here, the ECHO looks back at recent statements the wider squad have made...

Dominik Szoboszlai

"Everyone knows Mo," the scorer of the Reds' opening goal on Sunday, Dominik Szoboszlai, told Sky Sports before Salah spoke to the press. He added: "He just has to keep going and I hope I play with him for as long as I can."

Virgil van Dijk

"Special player," Virgil van Dijk told the ECHO of his fellow 2017/18 arrival following the 2-0 win against Aston Villa.

"Not only this year, but so many years now. You see the hard work that he puts in and how consistent he is, especially with his numbers but also with his performances.

"He is a special player and a pleasure to play with. Physically, definitely [he can stay at this level for longer]. Mentally, that's in his hands. With certain players, you can see how they play on the highest level."

Kostas Tsimikas

"They will enjoy if they stay or if they go so I think that's the only thing that matters," Kostas Tsimikas said about Salah alongside Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold at the end of October.

"It's up to them what they will do. For sure, the guys who leave, we will miss them a lot because all of them have many years here so they know what they want from the future.

"The thing is always to enjoy every moment here. I think for everybody it's the most important to enjoy. You don't know what the future will bring."

Trent Alexander-Arnold

“Mo Salah’s consistency – from the moment he came into the team to the moment of today, the most consistent player I have ever, ever, ever seen, if am honest, and to witness it on a daily basis is a privilege to say the least," Alexander-Arnold said in October.

"For everyone in the team, whether you are older than him, younger than him, he’s the person you look at for consistency, the way he looks after his body, the way he looks after himself, the way he game after game will get goals and assists and win those games and do special things, and he is incredible."

Alexis Mac Allister

"He's so good and so important for this team,” Mac Allister said after the Egyptian netted against Bologna. "I think we all know - not just for the team, for the club as well. He's a legend here. So, happy for him.

"When you have him, you know that he's going to deliver, he's going to get the numbers. We're happy that he's playing for us."

Alisson Becker

Standing next to Mac Allister on that Champions League night, Alisson verified: "He's a player that helps us a lot, sometimes it looks like he’s not in the game but suddenly a perfect touch, he puts the ball in the top corner.

"That’s his quality, his strength as well. We are lucky to have him but we always have to highlight the hard work the team had and a lot to improve but good enough to win the game."

Luis Diaz

Reacting in September to the possibility of Salah leaving this year, Luis Diaz replied: "It would be hard for us; it would be hard for Liverpool. It's going to hurt us a lot. He still has a year to think about it, it's not easy. He always gives his very best.

"He has done it from the start. It would be very hard to lose a key player like him. It's his decision and we respect that, but I hope he doesn't leave."

Andy Robertson

"You can see the shape he's in. He is getting better with age in terms of his physical output and attributes," Andy Robertson warned in August, adding: "He is a big-game player. His goals and assists speak for themselves and he always shows up against our rivals.

"The minute he walked through this door he's set Anfield and other stadiums alight. He is a Premier League legend, of course, he is, but still wants to write a few more stories and hopefully, that is him showing up in other big games this season.

"Obviously he is our main man and teams try to stop him. Mo knows when a big game is on the horizon but he also sets standards every single day. He's a model professional and if any kids or anyone are looking at professionals to base themselves on, then Mohamed Salah is not a bad person to do it to. He dedicates his life to football."