‘Emotional’ Salah will regret comments but Liverpool ‘need’ his return – Gerrard
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Liverpool captain Van Dijk has since played down Salah’s comments, stressing that he wants the winger to remain at the club.
“We all know what’s going on, but I think it’s bigger than ever because of the outside world.
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Salah is ‘a very smart guy’, interview was not ‘naive’ – McCoist
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“We have to deal with the fact that we had a big game tonight and everyone had to prepare for it and we have another big game this weekend. Whatever happens, we’ll see. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Salah is due to join up with Egypt for the African Cup of Nations on Monday, with his return to Merseyside in January coinciding with the winter transfer window.
Asked if he had spoken to Salah since Saturday, the Reds captain said: “Of course I spoke to him. (What I said) is nobody’s business.”
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Highlights: Szoboszlai’s penalty gives Ripur narrow victory over Inter
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“Of course. I’ve been with Mo for a very long time. He’s contributed a lot to my success at the club. He’s contributed a lot to the club’s success and I’ve contributed a lot to his success. We’ve all had success together at Liverpool.
“The reality is he will be away at the weekend and hopefully he can have a great African Cup of Nations. Until then, you never know what will happen.
“I hope he comes back 100 per cent[to play for Liverpool]. But I’m not the decision maker here. It’s a decision between the club and Mo.”
“No matter what happens, we’re friends. We’ve been through the good times and the bad. Let’s see. Let’s see what it brings.”
Slot reveals Salah’s comments
Ahead of Tuesday’s kick-off, Slott was asked by Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf about the possibility of Salah apologising, to which the Reds manager responded coyly.
But at a subsequent press conference, Slott added, “I’m glad you asked that question because Clarence says that as his opinion.”
“I said, ‘Yes, that’s your opinion.’ So I didn’t say anything about that. I didn’t say anything about who should take the first step (Slot or Salah) or anything else.”
“That was his opinion, so I’m happy to make it clear that tomorrow’s headlines were his opinion, not what I said.”
“My position is that the conversation tonight should just be about the players we have here,” Slott said.
“They’ve had many nights like this in Liverpool’s rich history, but I think if we play an away game in this stadium against such a strong team after the season, it should be about the midfield or Yves (Ibrahima Konate) or the team we have here. They deserve all the praise.”
