Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he cannot tell whether Mohamed Salah has already played his final match for the club after the Egyptian winger questioned his future following Saturday’s 3 3 draw against Leeds United in the Premier League.
Slot addressed the matter on Monday after excluding the 33 year old from Liverpool’s 19 man travelling squad for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture against Internazionale Milano at the San Siro. Salah trained with the team earlier in the day but was informed he would not make the trip.
Slot told reporters that the only communication with Salah since the weekend was to notify him that he would not be travelling. He said Salah’s public comments after the Leeds match caught him by surprise, although he rejected any suggestion that his authority had been weakened.
Salah has been named on the bench for Liverpool’s last three matches and did not feature at Elland Road. Slot said the winger’s recent omission from the starting line up was due to tactical adjustments made in response to previous performances.
The coach explained that the team had looked vulnerable in recent fixtures against Nottingham Forest and PSV. This led him to use an extra midfielder in the win over West Ham and again in the match against Sunderland. At Leeds, Slot opted for a 4 4 2 diamond system, choosing Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo in the wide attacking roles with Florian Wirtz operating between the lines. He said Salah could have been selected ahead of Ekitike but he chose otherwise.
Salah heads into a critical period as Liverpool have only one more match before he joins Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Their final group game is set for 29 December, which will rule him out for Liverpool for the remainder of the year. Should Egypt advance to the final, he may not return to Merseyside until after 18 January 2026.
Slot said Salah’s availability for Liverpool’s final match before AFCON, at home to Brighton and Hove Albion, will be reviewed after the Inter match.
The Egyptian forward produced one of the most dominant Premier League campaigns last season, finishing with 29 goals and 18 assists as Liverpool claimed the title. His output has dipped this season but he remains among the side’s most productive attackers with four league goals and two assists, second only to Gakpo’s combined tally of seven.
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