Curtis Jones has shed light on what Mohamed Salah told the Liverpool team after expressing his dissatisfaction with Arne Slott and the club following the 3-3 draw against Leeds. Salah said he felt “thrown under the bus” after his relationship with his head coach deteriorated and he was left out of the starting lineup for three consecutive games.
Following his comments, Salah was left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League match against Inter Milan. His comments also suggest Saturday’s game against Brighton could be his last for the club, raising questions about his future at Anfield.
Despite facing criticism for his public dissatisfaction and the timing of his comments, Salah returned to play against the Seagulls after positive discussions with Slott.
Although he started on the bench, Salah was brought on in place of Joe Gomez, who was injured midway through the first half, and played a major role, assisting Hugo Ekitike’s second goal of the day, as Liverpool won 2-0.
Liverpool will have to manage without Salah for the next few weeks. The 33-year-old is set to join up with the Egyptian squad for the Africa Cup of Nations and speculation over his future is likely to continue ahead of the January transfer window.
Following the 2-0 win against Brighton, Jones sought to clarify Salah’s recent comments, stressing that Salah had made it clear that his comments were not directed at the team or any particular team-mate.
“We all love Mo. I love Mo too,” Jones told Viaplay. “He was the one person who was always there when I was having the most difficult times at the club. I could always talk to him. And it’s exactly the same now.”
“Mo is his own man and has his own opinions. And, you know, I don’t think his intention was to influence the team or anything like that. It was just a personal thing.”
“And as everyone knows, the team, the fans, the staff, we all love Mo. He’s a great guy.
“I don’t really like talking about other people’s problems or his business or whatever. It’s about Mo. But at the end of the day, I think the important thing that Mo made clear is that it’s not about the team or anything like that, it’s just a personal issue, and that’s it.”
The game against Brighton marked Jones’ 200th appearance for Liverpool, making him the youngest player to reach this milestone since Steven Gerrard in 2003.
Jones, who was coached by the Anfield icon at youth level, was keen to acknowledge Gerrard’s influence and believed the former manager’s determined approach during his time at the academy shaped the trajectory of his career. “Not a bad person to follow, right? Stephen has obviously been a huge part of my career and life,” Jones added on LFC TV.
“And I say life because he was probably the first person in the academy who really taunted me! And that changed me to think that I wasn’t better than anyone else or anything like that. It was a reality check in terms of how I played and the role he gave me.”
“Stephen would be the first to say that once I got through the things that complicated things, that I thought I was the guy because I wore No. 10 and all that, I would be the first guy in his team.”
“I was always the kind of kid at the top of my age group, and I think I can be a bit passive at times.
“And Stephen was the first one to give me a real, real check. Coming from a guy like him, a guy who played the game, a guy I looked up to, if he’s telling me, I have to change.”
“From there he stuck with me and I stuck with him and we worked. It’s been a year since I got into the first team and now I’ve been here for 200 games, so he’s obviously the guy I want to thank.”
“It’s frustrating. I was actually chatting with Trey (Nyoni) and Rio (Ngmoha) was there too.
“I just said, ‘Guys, you always hear from your staff and your family about how fast the game goes, but, oh my god, it’s so fast.’” If you think back to my first game, an away game against Wolves, you remember how quickly everything changed.
“I would like to thank the staff and teammates around me for letting me stay at the club and believing that I could play in so many games.
“I can only thank my mum and the family around me, they obviously played a huge role… in the days of taxis to training and things like that.
“And in the environment I was in as a kid, as a Scouse kid, it was very easy to go a different route. But there was only one goal that I had in mind, and that was to play for this club.”
“That’s what I’m doing and I’m smiling from ear to ear. I’m down 200 now, and I hope it’s a lot more down the road.”
The midfielder has featured in Liverpool’s last three games, drawing attention in a deeper role alongside Ryan Gravenbirch, while also excelling in positioning within the diamond formation.
Throughout his career at Anfield, the 24-year-old has faced accusations of being obsessed with possession and hampering the tempo of attacks.
However, Jones addressed such criticism head-on and expressed his ambition to maintain his spot in the slot’s first-choice lineup.
“I’m just one of those players who loves to play. I just enjoy having the ball at my feet,” he explained. “I’ve heard that sometimes I get criticized for not moving the ball fast enough.
“That’s because I’m used to being on the ball and I don’t want to be in a hurry, but then you give it to a player who’s not as used to the ball as I am and he’s going to have a little difficulty and then he’ll be blamed.
“I would rather take on the players who come to put pressure on me, knowing that they will have to work hard to get the ball from me.
“I’m always adapting and always trying to improve. I want to score more goals and assist more.”
“In terms of my role, I’m happy to be part of the team and if the manager chooses me, he’ll choose me, and if not, he won’t choose me.
“I’m always going to be there and show that I deserve to play. That’s what I’m trying to do right now.”
