Steven Gerrard has revealed he had a text conversation with Mohamed Salah shortly after criticizing Liverpool forward Arne Slott. The Egyptian recently confirmed that he has chosen to leave Anfield at the end of the season. During his nine years on the red side of Merseyside, Salah established himself as one of the greatest players in the club’s long history.
But just before departing for the African Cup of Nations, he publicly criticized Slott for being benched after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road. Salah was subsequently left out of Liverpool’s Champions League win away to Inter Milan, but rejoined the squad after returning from AFCON.
Reflecting on the dispute between Salah and Slott, Gerrard revealed that he had a frank exchange with Salah over the phone.
Gerrard told Overlap: “I talked to him at the time, before and after that interview. I said, ‘Stop what you’re doing and go under the clouds.’ Well, I talked to him directly.”
“He texts me sometimes and when I go somewhere with Leo (Gerrard’s son) he texts me so I can meet him.
“But it gave me an opportunity to say to him, ‘You’ve been here eight or nine years. You’re the king here and you have this heritage. Go on the right path, on your terms.’
Asked how Salah reacted to Gerrard’s words, the former England captain said: “He was still a bit emotional at the time because of the incident. He was a sub and was in and out of the team at the time and was upset. I thought it would be a shame to leave in January so I just left.”
Gerrard elaborated further on the rift between Slott and Salah, adding: “Now that I’m a manager myself, I understand both sides. Something similar happened to Brendan[Rodgers].”
“But looking back now, I’m away from the game and I’m on the other side of it and I don’t get too emotional, but I understand it from Brendan’s perspective. I probably wouldn’t have been the same player at 34. There’s no rule that says you have to play every minute because you’re captain, but it wasn’t easy at the time.”
“When you’re in the team and you’re trying to play for United, you look at the team and think, ‘I’m as good as those players, or better than them’. It’s difficult given the situation of the players.”
Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season despite having one year left on his contract. Despite this, the club allowed him to leave Anfield without a transfer fee, effectively making him a free agent.
