Mohamed Salah is in line for an immediate return to the Liverpool team at Marseille on Wednesday with Arne Slot insisting he has no issues with the Egypt international.
Salah trained with Liverpool on Tuesday for the first time since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, where his quest for a first continental title with Egypt was ended in the semi-finals by the eventual winners, Senegal. The 33-year-old’s Anfield future was shrouded in doubt before his departure for Morocco, having accused the club of throwing him under a bus in response to poor results and claiming his relationship with Slot had disintegrated.
The forward’s long-term position at Liverpool may still be uncertain but Slot said any lingering issues are not on his part and gave a clear indication that Salah will come straight back into the side for the Champions League match in France. A win in Marseille would secure Liverpool’s place in the knockout stages.
Slot said: “There has been one moment in the season where I decided not to play Mo and one moment where I decided not to take him to the game [the win at Inter that followed Salah’s explosive interview]. For all the other games he’s been in the squad. He was the first substitution against Brighton, so there’s never been an issue for me, and the first time he’s able to be in the squad again, he is. Let’s see the lineup tomorrow if you still think there’s an issue.”
Liverpool are unbeaten in the 12 matches since Slot first dropped Salah at West Ham but the head coach said the team had missed the prolific forward’s influence. “I am really happy and pleased he is back,” Slot said. “In his absence I think we have done OK in terms of hardly conceding any chances and creating more and more chances. If you create more and more, then it is really helpful to have Mohamed Salah.
“There has only been one player who scored more for this club but I don’t think I can still play Ian Rush!” Roger Hunt also scored more goals for Liverpool than Salah, albeit with some in Division Two. “It is really helpful to have him back. We will never know but the amount of chances and ball possession we had against Burnley we would usually score more with Mo.”
Ibrahima Konaté has not travelled to Marseille because of a family matter. Slot was bluntly asked whether he felt under more pressure now that Xabi Alonso was out of work and, bizarrely, whether the former Liverpool favourite and target had been in contact with him.
“Yes,” Slot said. “He called me and said: ‘What do you think about the team because I am going to take over in six months? Can you tell me a little bit more?’ Maybe he takes over tomorrow. No, no. This is one of the weirdest questions I ever got. What is there to say?
“I am working here for a little bit more than one and a half years and I really like my work over here. We won the league last season, struggled more in the league this season, that is obvious, so what is there left to say?”
Dominik Szoboszlai has confirmed talks are progressing over a new contract but said no decision has been reached over his future.
The Hungarian struck the bar with a penalty on Saturday during the 1-1 home draw with Burnley, which capped an awkward week for the midfielder who was accused by the Barnsley head coach, Conor Hourihane, of being disrespectful in Liverpool’s FA Cup win against the League One side. Szoboszlai, however, denies that was the case and insisted the slip that handed Barnsley their goal was a genuine error.
He said: “For me, personally, it’s a tough one. I made a mistake against Barnsley but I have to make it clear it wasn’t disrespectful in my opinion and I would do the same against Arsenal, [Manchester] City and against Chelsea as well. I didn’t want to give it back to [goalkeeper] Giorgi [Mamardashvili]. I wanted to keep going but I tried to pretend that was playing it back, just to make it clear.
“Against Burnley I missed a penalty but I’m going to keep on going, I’m going to take the next one and I’m going to score I’m pretty sure.”
