Mohamed Salah has been dropped from Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League tie at Inter Milan after the Egypt star’s extraordinary criticism of his treatment by boss Arne Slot.
Salah was not included in the squad announced by Liverpool on Monday despite being seen smiling when he trained with the first team earlier in the day.
Salah said on Saturday he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and that he no longer had a relationship with Slot after he was left on the bench for the third consecutive game in a 3-3 draw against Leeds.
In the midst of a dismal season by his high standards, the 33-year-old was not even used as a substitute at Elland Road.
“I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship,” Salah told reporters at the weekend in response to being left on the bench again.
“I don’t know why but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.
“It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.”
It was reported that Salah’s removal from the squad for the trip to Italy was taken with the full support of Slot, but it is believed no formal disciplinary action has been taken against him by the club.
Salah’s exile is said to be in the best interests of all parties involved, with a brief period away from selection seen as the correct response given the nature and timing of his comments.
Salah’s incendiary blast has sparked speculation that Liverpool will consider selling him in the January transfer window.
The forward has repeatedly been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League over the last two years.
After next weekend’s home match against Brighton in the Premier League, Salah is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah, who signed from Roma in 2017, is Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all time with 250 goals in 420 appearances for the club.
He is the club’s highest-paid player in history, having signed a new contract in April, and played a key role in Liverpool’s two Premier League titles and one Champions League triumph during his iconic spell on Merseyside.
But Salah has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season – the Premier League champions are now ninth in the table – with just four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.
He was dropped from the starting line-up for Champions League games against Galatasaray and Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this season in the first indication that Slot was growing frustrated with his poor form and lack of defensive effort.
Salah’s last Liverpool start was in a 4-1 defeat by PSV Eindhoven on November 26, while he is without a goal since netting against Aston Villa at the start of November.
His astonishing outburst risked undermining Slot’s authority at a time when he is trying to drag the team out of a slump which has seen them win just four of the last 15 matches.
Salah’s absence also adds to Slot’s problems on the pitch as Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have also not travelled due to fitness issues.
As a result, Slot was only able to take a reduced 19-man squad on the flight to Milan.
Slot and Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker are due to attend a press conference at the San Siro ahead of Tuesday’s showdown with Inter. – Sky Sports.
