Mo Salah dropped from Liverpool squad
Mohamed Salah (33) is not in Liverpool’s squad for the Reds’ Champions League match against Inter Milan on Tuesday (9 p.m.)
Even before the official confirmation, several English media outlets and football insider Fabrizio Romano reported on the demotion. The Egyptian had still participated in Liverpool’s final training session on Monday afternoon.
Salah has been on the bench three times recently; in the 3-3 draw against newly promoted Leeds, the Egyptian even spent the entire match on the sidelines.
After another frustrating match, Salah vented his anger. In the mixed zone, he gave a seven-minute interview , lashing out at coach Slot, among others. Salah said: “I used to have a good relationship with him. Now we don’t have a relationship anymore, and I don’t know why.
And: “I couldn’t believe I sat on the bench for 90 minutes. I’m very disappointed; I’ve done so much for this club over the years, especially last season. It seems like the club has let me down. That’s how I feel.”
His exclusion from the Champions League squad is the latest rift in the relationship between club and player. Salah had also vaguely hinted at a departure in his angry interview.
Next week, the striker will travel with the Egyptian national team to the Africa Cup of Nations (December 21 to January 18 in Morocco). Regarding Liverpool’s next league game on Saturday against Brighton, he said: “I will say goodbye to the fans before the Africa Cup of Nations because I don’t know what will happen then.”
Mohamed Salah ‘destroying his legacy’ by disrespecting Liverpool – Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney insists Mohamed Salah is “destroying his legacy” by disrespecting his Liverpool team-mates and manager Arne Slot through his incendiary comments at Elland Road on Saturday.
Salah declared in an interview after the 3-3 draw with Leeds that he had been “thrown under the bus”, had no relationship with Slot and that Saturday’s clash with Brighton could be his final game at Anfield.
The 33-year-old Egypt forward was angry at being named on the bench for a third-successive match as Liverpool react to the early collapse of their Premier League title defence.
“Why? Why would you come out and say that?” former Manchester United striker Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
“It’s disrespectful to his team-mates, to his manager and to the fans. It’s incredible that he came out with what he did.
“He’s absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool. His legacy he can have is massive. Some of the legends who have played for Liverpool and he is right up there with them.
“It would be sad for him to throw it all away and how he has gone about not playing and being on the bench, he has gone about it all wrong.
“Liverpool fans – I know a lot of them – they won’t accept those comments, no luck.
“To have the arrogance to say he doesn’t have to earn his place because he has already earned his place – you need to be at your best every week to try and stay in the team.
Liverpool face Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday before hosting Brighton this weekend and Rooney believes Salah should not be involved in either game.
“Arne Slot has to show his authority and just pull him in and say ‘listen, you are not travelling with the team. What you said is not acceptable. Take yourself off to the African Cup of Nations and let everything calm down’,” Rooney said.
“If Slot keeps him in the squad, there will be questions. If I was Arne Slot, there’s no way I’d have him anywhere near the team.
“He’s going to have the protection from next week of being away with Egypt, his timing on it, he has done for a reason.
“Very premeditated what he has done. He has done it, so he can drop that bombshell and then go away with Egypt.
“That will be a good thing for Liverpool, to get him out of the way with what’s happened and focus on the new players.”
