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Salah came on as a first-half substitute in the win against Brighton on Saturday Captain Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool "are absolutely united and go forward as one" after Mohamed Salah returned to the squad for Saturday's win over Brighton. Salah came off the bench for his first Liverpool appearance since claiming after last weekend's 3-3 draw with Leeds that he had been "thrown under the bus" by the club. The 33-year-old was left out of the squad for the midweek Champions League win at Inter Milan, but returned for the Brighton game following talks with manager Arne Slot - and claimed an assist in the 2-0 win. Salah joins up with the Egypt national team for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) on Monday and could miss up to eight Liverpool games if his country go all the way to the final on 18 January. "We showed this week that we are absolutely united. We go forward as one, " said Van Dijk, who made his 250th Premier League appearance for Liverpool on Saturday. "Mo is going to Afcon and we all hope that he'll be successful there and he'll come back and be important for us for the rest of the season. "The other side of it is that we all know football and we have no idea what is going to happen. I hope that he stays because he is one of my leaders and still very important for the football club. But there's more parties to this situation. " This video can not be played Mohamed Salah returns to the side after controversial press conference Goodbye - but only for now? Salah signs off as questions remain 'Easy decision' to recall Salah says Slot Van Dijk also praised Slot for how he handled the events of recent days, with Liverpool now unbeaten in five games since losing to PSV at Anfield in the Champions League. "I think he has handled the situation very well - calm in his own way and it's a very tricky situation, " said the Netherlands defender. "There's a lot of noise and pressure from the outside world and rightly so because we've not been up to the standard we've shown in the last few seasons. "We've just got to keep going. He's at a club which is very together and that's how it has been before our time at the club, and that's something we have to keep going. "We go through the good times together, as a team, as a club and as a fanbase, but sometimes when the difficult moments arise we also have to stick together. This moment of time is a very good moment to see how everyone responds. " Mo Salah: Never Give Up Available now Latest Liverpool news, analysis and fan views Ask about Liverpool - what do you want to know? Premier League: Sunderland lead Newcastle, Aston Villa, Forest & Man City all in front Premier Sports Cup final: St Mirren roar into astonishing second-minute lead against Celtic Champions Cup: Bath regain lead over Toulon, Northampton early try v Bulls - radio & text David Dimbleby takes a personal look at the role of the monarchy Celebrate Christmas the 80s way with Gary Davies Drama based on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's fight for justice Chris Mc Causland joins Emma to discuss dancing blind on TV Liverpool 'united as one' after Salah return - Van Dijk Mc Cullum hints at unchanged batting line-up. Video Mc Cullum hints at unchanged batting line-up 'Anger and disappointment' as fans priced out of World Cup 'Fantastic human' Russo shines in Arsenal win at Everton Sutton's predictions v England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray 'There can only be one singer' - my secrets of successful man-management Scotland's Burke scores stunner as Union beat RB Leipzig. Video Scotland's Burke scores stunner as Union beat RB Leipzig Jamaica series about 'more than scoreline' after hurricane 'This club can turn things around' - Bernardo Silva on Man City. Video'This club can turn things around' - Bernardo Silva on Man City Rooney 'got death threats' after making Man Utd move BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 contenders. Video BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 contenders Barcelona 'not a pressure' for on-loan Rashford 'Mine was for social change, this is not' - King on Battle of the Sexes What next after Hamilton's 'nightmare' year? The man behind the headlines - Salah, by Klopp, Diaz and more World Darts Championship - Draw, seeds, prize money 'I hated rugby' - how Heyes turned around England career Biggest rule change ever and Brit teen - what's new in F1 in 2026? Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.