Mohamed Salah told what to do in the summer, as Arne Slott appealed to the Liverpool bosses

Former Premier League star Rafael van der Vaart believes Mohamed Salah should leave Liverpool this summer as Saudi Pro League clubs discuss their views.

Former Premier League star Rafael van der Vaart has suggested it would be in the interests of all concerned for Mohamed Salah to leave Liverpool during the summer transfer window. Salah was involved in a very public spat with the club in December after being left on the substitute bench for a series of games under manager Arne Slott.

The attacker criticized his treatment before hinting that he could leave in January. Salah was left out of Liverpool’s squad for the Champions League win against Inter Milan, but after direct consultation with Slott he was reinstated in Liverpool’s matchday squad for the 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Before joining Egypt’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, the forward also said he was sorry to his teammates. Despite this, the forward’s tenure at Liverpool could come to an end in the summer transfer window, with teams in the Saudi Professional League repeatedly linked with a move for Salah.

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And Van der Vaart told Sky Bet that the choice was a simple one, saying: “If you look at Mohamed Salah and the position he plays on the pitch, he loses an extra half a yard and with age he loses pace.

“Before, he was very quick and would rush towards players, but now we see that it is different and this is because of his age. If you look at Mohamed Salah and the position he plays on the pitch, he loses an extra half a yard and with age he loses his pace.

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“Before, he was very quick and would rush at players, but now I see that it is different and this is because of his age. If you look at Virgil van Dijk, age is not so important for a defender.

“There were games where he didn’t perform at his best and everyone looked down on him, but over the course of a full season he showed everyone how good he is even at this age.[On Mohamed Salah]Having big players and big names is sometimes a problem for both players and managers.”

“If you as a manager expect something from him and he doesn’t do it, then of course you have the right to put him on the bench, but with Mohamed Salah, this could cause a big problem. In every press conference, every question will be about Salah. It might be best for both sides for Salah to go somewhere else in the summer.”

Van der Vaart believes Salah’s departure could suit all parties this summer, but he has a different view on the Reds’ slot manager. “Arne Slott is the man who can turn things around for Liverpool, I believe in this 100 per cent.

“There’s no guarantee that spending £500m in the summer will make your team better. We’ve seen that firsthand,” he said. “You have to remember that when Liverpool were winning, often it was a last-minute goal.

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“Sometimes in football you can rely on luck and right now they are in a phase where luck is not on their side. I really hope Liverpool stay calm and hold on to the slot because he can turn things around.”

Liverpool still have the task of turning things around under Slott in order to secure his job in the coming months. The Reds won the Premier League in his first season in charge but suffered a setback in the division after making heavy investment in the summer.

The challenge now is to secure Champions League football next season, with the race wide open to secure a top four or five place.