Liverpool duo Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have not been the same this season, says journalist Dean Jones.

Jones has put the Reds' struggles down to the above, while he also feels that they are missing Sadio Mane following his move to Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

How have Liverpool been performing?

It has not been the best start to the season for Jurgen Klopp's men. They currently sit seventh in the Premier League table after taking just nine points from their first six games, while they were recently beaten 4-1 in the Champions League by Napoli.

When it comes to individual performances, the likes of Salah and Van Dijk have struggled during this early part of the campaign.

The former has just two goals in six league games, while the latter's defending has come under the microscope in recent weeks.

"It is such strange defending," former Manchester City full-back Micah Richards said last month when discussing the Dutchman's display against Manchester United (BBC Radio 5 Live via MailOnline). "We all know Van Dijk has had his injuries and they are a way better team when he is in the side, but some of these mistakes are so uncharacteristic from him."

What has Jones said about Van Dijk, Salah and Liverpool?

Jones fears for Liverpool if £75m Van Dijk and £34m Salah do not step up.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "I'm convinced they miss Mane way more than the club would probably want to admit.

"Van Dijk is not the same and Salah is not the same, and you just wonder how do you recover from a moment like this If your two big stars are not stepping up? Even worse than that, they're totally off form."

Will Van Dijk and Salah's performances improve?

It seems inevitable. Van Dijk and Salah are both too good to remain in this slump - they will surely recover soon.

And once Liverpool have the two back to their best again, you would expect them to gain some consistency and climb the table.

Ultimately, while it quite clearly has not been a great start to the 2022/23 season for Klopp's side, there is no reason for the Anfield faithful to panic just yet. There is a long way to go in this campaign, while there is nothing to suggest that Van Dijk and Salah will not rediscover their best form - this just looks like a bit of a blip and nothing more.