Mohamed Salah unlikely to play again for Liverpool before Africa Cup of Nations

Mo Salah appears unlikely to play for Liverpool in this weekend’s Premier League clash at home to Brighton, talkSPORT understands.

Salah paid the price for his explosive takedown of manager Arne Slot by being left at home for Tuesday’s much-needed 1-0 Champions League triumph at Inter Milan.

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Last season’s Premier League player of the year also claimed he would ‘say goodbye’ to Liverpool fans after the Brighton game.

As previously reported by talkSPORT, the Liverpool hierarchy have thrown their backing firmly behind manager Slot.

It was a board decision, in conjunction with Slot, not to take Salah to Italy.

With the Egyptian set to join up with his country for the upcoming African Cup of Nations by December 15, his participation in Saturday’s game is very much in the balance.

Focus will then turn to Salah’s long-term future at Anfield, with several Saudi Pro League clubs and a number of MLS sides watching developments.

What did Mo Salah say?

Salah said he felt like he had been ‘thrown under the bus’ by the club after being benched for three consecutive games.

He was an unused substitute for the 3-3 draw at Leeds and that is when he decided to air his grievances to the media.

Salah said: “It is not acceptable for me. I don’t know why this is happening to me. I don’t get it. I think if this was somewhere else, every club would protect its player.

“How I see it now is like you throw Mo under the bus because he is the problem in the team now. But I don’t think I am the problem. I have done so much for this club.

“The respect, I want to get. I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I am not bigger than anyone, but I earned my position. It’s football. It is what it is.”

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The 34-year-old said his relationship with Slot was broken.

What has Slot said?

The questions after the 1-0 win were understandably dominated by the future of Salah.

He was asked whether there was a way back for a player who had suggested the weekend’s Premier League game at home to Brighton may be his last.

“First you have to ask if the player feels he made a mistake,” he told Amazon Prime.

“I’m going to talk to him. But then you have to ask should the initiative come from me?”

However, in his press conference Slot rowed back slightly on those comments.

“I didn’t say who should make the first step,” he added.

“Tonight it should be all about the players that are here. In the rich history Liverpool has had they have had many of these evenings.”

Danny Murphy’s verdict

Former Liverpool midfielder Murphy has been critical of Salah’s comments in the media, but believes his end game is to engineer an exit.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “It doesn’t make sense if it’s to try and get Slot out. What does he think a new manager coming in would think? ‘Oh, that’s great that I can work with you because any new manager coming in has to play him or he’s going to kick up a stink’. 

“I don’t think he’s covered himself in glory in that respect. I think it’s an exit strategy and just throwing his toys out the pram.

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“Self-indulgent. It’s his ego’s been dented.”

He added: “When he’s a bit older and he understands life more and he lives back in the real world, he’ll look at it and he’ll feel bad that he did it. He’ll look at himself and be disappointed. 

“But when you’re a footballer, you live in this bubble, I’ve talked about it before, you think you’re special. You think you’re above normal behaviour.

“This is a football club that’s got worldwide support and great history. It will always override any player and his petulance and silly comments about not having to earn his place and all that will not sit easy.”