Mohamed Salah ’s incredible 2024-25 campaign so far put him right in contention, despite injuries and poor form limiting his impact in the first half of the year. But he is just pipped by Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said the club is in "constant talks" with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold as uncertainty over the trio's long-term futures continues.

Arguably the Premier League's pre-eminent centre-back, Van Dijk has chalked up 177 wins in the competition, which puts him 16th on the all-time list for defenders. Only Jonny Evans (188), Ashley Young (212) and Kyle Walker (258) of current defenders can boast more.

Boxing Day was full of surprises for a handful of England's top teams, while another has a chance on Friday to buck the trend. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a Premier League-themed update for the weekend. All times U.

There are eight matches in the Premier League on Thursday, and we will bring you every moment. Manchester City v Everton (12:30)Bournemouth v Crystal PalaceChelsea v FulhamNewcastle v Aston VillaNottingham Forest v TottenhamSouthampton v West HamWolves v Manchester United (17:30)Liverpool v Leicester (20:00) Kick-off time 15:00 GMT unless stated

Ian: Leicester were stubborn opponents but Liverpool persevered with some excellent football and came out deserved winners. I know I keep mentioning it but again Darwin Nunez was disappointing - we need to invest in a proper number nine.

LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -Liverpool came back after conceding early to beat Leicester City 3-1 at Anfield on Thursday and open a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Struggling Leicester took a shock sixth minute lead through Jordan Ayew but lived a charmed life until Cody Gakpo equalised on the stroke of halftime.