Mohamed Salah was affected by his contract saga in the latter stages of last season, according to Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk.
Egypt international Salah signed a new deal at Anfield last month worth a reported £350,000 a week, making him the highest-earning player in the club s history.
That brought an end to months of speculation regarding the 30-year-old s future, having himself hinted that he may move away as he entered the final year of his previous deal.
Despite Salah finishing last season as the Premier League s joint-top goalscorer alongside Son Heung-min, Van Dijk believes the contract standoff took its toll on the Egypt star.
At the end of the season, from maybe April until the end, there was a lot of talk about his contract and stuff, …