Liverpool manager Arne Slott has provided an update on his team’s fitness ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City, including Mohamed Salah’s fitness.
Mohamed Salah is fit and available to play for Liverpool for the first time since the shocking revelation that he will be leaving the club this summer. Manager Arne Slott also did not rule out the possibility of Alexander Isak joining the squad, as he continues to gradually return to fitness following a broken foot.
During the international break, Salah confirmed via social media that this would be his last season in his legendary stint at Anfield.
The Egyptian still has 12 months left on his contract but has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, and it is understood he will be allowed to leave on a free transfer. But before his Liverpool career comes to an end, he will remain a key part of Arne Slott’s side, who are still playing on three fronts.
The Reds enter a crucial period of the season with tomorrow’s FA Cup quarter-final match against Manchester City. And although Salah missed the Premier League defeat to Brighton before the international break, he returned to fitness in time to face City.
He was then removed from international duty with Egypt in order to recover in time for a crucial week. Slott returned to full training this week and confirmed he is ready to face Josep Guardiola’s side.
read more: Liverpool: 8 stars will be allowed to leave the club this summerread more: Arne Slott gives insight into what kind of player Mohamed Salah was at Liverpool before the brawl
Mohamed Salah returned to training with Liverpool on Thursday ahead of the match against Man City.
“Yes, he is (available). He trained with us yesterday, he trained with us today and he is available tomorrow,” Slott said.
Liverpool’s record signing Isak will not feature in 2026 but has returned to full training and is still a long way off from starting. “He will definitely be too fast to be a starter. Yesterday was his first training in 101 days. It will take some time to give him a lot of time, but we will train him carefully. It’s great to have him back in training, but it’s even better when he’s on the field.”
Asked specifically if he could join the team, Slott suggested he could play a few minutes. However, it would be difficult to play for too long.
Alexander Isak was able to play for the first time since December (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Jeremy Frimpong and Federico Chiesa will train on Friday to determine whether they will be available for Saturday. Frimpong was injured while playing for the Dutch national team, while Chiesa was withdrawn from the Italian national team.
Liverpool will be without goalkeeper Alisson for the next few weeks, but the Brazilian aims to return “towards the end of the season”. Long-term players Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni remain sidelined, while Wataru Endo continues to recover from ankle surgery.
After the game against City, the Reds’ attention will turn to the Champions League and a mouth-watering clash with holders Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight. The French champions defeated Liverpool on penalties last season to win European football’s top prize for the first time.
Between the two games against PSG, Liverpool will be looking to return to Premier League action and consolidate their place in the top five, which is good enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Alisson will also miss Saturday’s FA Cup smash against City (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
That means Liverpool’s season, which quietly surrendered the Premier League title, could end not just with a glorious farewell to Salah, but with two major trophies in hand.
Salah, signed in 2016, has scored 255 goals for Liverpool, second only to Roger Hunt and record scorer Ian Rush. He was a key figure in two teams that won the title in 2020, including the one that ended a long wait for the Top League title.
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He signed a new two-year contract at the end of last season, but has grown frustrated during this season. After being left out of the starting XI in December, Salah went public with his frustrations, saying he had been “thrown under the bus” by Slott.
The two have since patched things up, with Slott speaking glowingly of his star forward, which still led to his announcement last month.
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