Mohamed Salah has been excluded from Liverpool’s squad for their upcoming Champions League clash against Inter Milan. The Egyptian star, who recently sat out three straight matches, created fresh controversy after giving a fiery interview on Sunday, in which he criticised both the club and manager Arne Slott.
Tension Rises After Salah’s Remarks
Speaking to the media ahead of Monday’s match, Slott expressed his surprise over Salah’s comments, noting that the statements were “unexpected and disappointing given the timing.” The situation has intensified speculation about his long-term future with the club, though Slott insists that the door remains open for his return.
Liverpool will face Brighton on Saturday before Salah travels to join his national team for the African Cup of Nations. Slott avoided confirming whether he would feature in that match, saying:
“𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
The manager explained that despite Salah training with the first team on Monday morning, the decision was made to exclude him from the trip to Milan. He emphasised that it was a collective decision taken in consultation with the club, and he is not currently facing any formal disciplinary action.
Club’s Stand Amid Poor Run of Form
Reports suggest that Liverpool opted to keep Salah out temporarily due to the sensitivity of his public comments. The aim is to ease internal pressure and maintain balance within the squad. Despite Salah’s dip in form—scoring only four goals in 13 league games—he remains an important figure at the club.
Liverpool has struggled recently, with just 4 wins in its last 15 matches across all competitions. Even so, Slott continues to receive strong backing from the board. The team sits 13th in the Champions League standings and urgently needs a win in Milan to stay in the race for a top-eight finish and a knockout-stage spot.
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