Mohamed Salah ‘left out of Liverpool squad’ and may have played final game for Reds | Football | Sport
Mohamed Salah is reportedly expected to be left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League clash with Inter Milan. The Reds are due to face Inter at the San Siro on Tuesday evening as Arne Slot’s men go in search of their fourth European win of the campaign.
Salah has been one of Liverpool’s most important players since arriving at the club from Roma in 2017. He sparkled during Slot’s first season at the helm as he contributed 34 goals and 23 assists in all competitions. But he has underwhelmed on the pitch this this time round, with his side struggling for form in the Premier League. And he has been named on the bench in each of the Reds’ last three league matches. On Saturday he failed to make it onto the pitch against Leeds, less than a week after he was an unused substitute against West Ham.
After Saturday’s clash with Leeds, Salah made his views on the situation clear as he explained: “I’m very disappointed, I’ve done so much for this club. Everyone has seen it in recent years, especially last season. I don’t know why I’m sitting on the bench.
“It feels like the club is throwing me under the bus, that’s how I feel. I think it’s very clear that someone will blame me. The club promised me a lot in the summer, but I’ve been on the bench for three games. I can’t say they’ve kept their promises.
“I have said many times that I have a good relationship with the manager, but suddenly we don’t have a relationship anymore. I don’t know why.”
And it now appears that he will be excluded from the matchday squad altogether when Liverpool travel to Italy.
According to The Athletic, a final decision is yet to be made over whether to include Salah in the squad, but he is expected to be left out.
The decision, which would be made by Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes in conjunction with the club’s ownership, would not be viewed as a punishment and would instead be seen as a common sense move following his remarks.
But the decision would underline the club’s support for Slot, who has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks following a dismal run of results.
If the Reds were to leave Salah at home, it would not have a bearing on his selection for the Reds’ clash with Brighton at the weekend. And Liverpool have insisted they are fully committed to the player and his contract, which runs until the summer of 2027.
Salah is due to report for international duty after the match against the Seagulls, with Egypt set to feature at the Africa Cup of Nations, which gets underway just before Christmas.
And he may not return to Merseyside until after January 18 if Egypt progress to the final. By that stage, the January transfer window will have been open for over a fortnight. And with Salah attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League in recent seasons, Liverpool may have received offers for the forward by the time he returns to England.
The aforementioned outlet have reported that Liverpool are not planning for the attacker’s exit in January. But if the blockbuster star fails to appear for the Reds over the coming week and Liverpool do sanction a move for him while he is away on international duty, he may never play for the club again.
