The trio, cornerstones of generational success under Jurgen Klopp, all see their contracts expire at the end of the campaign, with Salah previously suggesting it would be his last.

But a bright start under successor Arne Slot has fans hopeful they may yet put pen to paper on fresh terms that keep them at Anfield into the future and beyond.

Now James, who won the 1994-95 EFL Cup with the Reds during a seven-year spell, believes they will come to settle on new deals when the time is right for them.

"It would have been easy for Slot to go in and offer these guys new deals right away, but he’s waited, which I think is the right thing to do for a new manager," he told safestcasinosites.co.uk.

"For the players, they’ve seen what Slot is bringing on the pitch and off it, and they will be thinking that they want to be part of it. Arne will want to keep the levels high.

"There are stronger doubts about Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk because they are older players moving towards the end of their careers,

"But from what I’ve seen from their performances this season, these guys don’t look like players that are happy to see things out. They look hungry to achieve something.

"From a Liverpool point-of-view, the more successful they are on the pitch, the easier it is to retain these players and ask them to commit for a couple more years."

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