Arne Slott has confirmed that he will hold a face-to-face interview with Mo Salah to confirm whether he will feature in his final game for Liverpool. The 33-year-old hinted in a bombshell interview last weekend that Saturday’s home game against Brighton could be his last appearance for the Reds.
Salah revealed he invited his mother to Anfield so she could witness his farewell. Egyptian international Salah is due to leave for the African Cup of Nations next week and will not be home until the winter transfer window opens in January. Slott has been left out of the squad for Tuesday’s crucial Champions League game against Inter Milan after his comments accused Liverpool of “throwing him under the bus”.
The Reds’ dramatic 1-0 victory at the San Siro hinted at life without the number 11. Salah’s future dominated the discussion ahead of the match against Brighton at Liverpool’s AXA training complex in Kirkby.
“We’re going to have a discussion with him this morning, and the outcome of that conversation will determine the situation tomorrow,” Slott said.
“What I need to do is talk to him. Next time I talk about Mo, I should be with him, not here. There’s nothing more I can say. I talked to him today, and the outcome will determine tomorrow.”
Asked if Salah’s lackluster defensive contribution had initially led to him being benched, the Liverpool manager said: “I just said we can try in different ways, but the next time we talk about him it should be with him. I think there has been a lot of discussion between his agent and our agent since last week.”
Slott was subsequently questioned as to who had instructed him to exclude Salah from the Milan trip. “I think we made the decision as a club not to bring him to Inter, and I was part of that,” the Dutchman declared.
“I’m always in touch with them about the lineup and the team and that’s always up to me. I talk to Richard Hughes more than Michael Edwards. We talk about a lot of things.”
Asked if he wanted Salah to stay beyond January, Slott replied: “This is another way of asking, but the next time we talk about Mo, I’ll be with him. I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t want him to stay.”
Asked whether he felt vindicated after the win against Inter without Salah, the Reds manager said: “This club has won a lot of games with Mo, so that’s the answer.”
Salah vented his frustration to journalists in the mixed zone after being left on the bench for the third consecutive game against Leeds last Saturday. “I can’t believe I sat on the bench for 90 minutes,” lamented the Egyptian captain. “I think it’s the first time in my career that I’ve been on the bench three times in a row.
“I’m very, very disappointed. I’ve done a lot for this club so far, especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. I feel like the club threw me under the bus. That’s how I feel. I think it’s clear that someone was trying to put all the blame on me.”
“As I have said many times before, I had a good relationship with the manager and suddenly it stopped. I don’t know why, but from my point of view it feels like someone doesn’t want me at the club.”
