Jurgen Klopp has admitted Mohamed Salah hates being left out of his Liverpool starting XI when defending his decision to bench the Egyptian as one of seven changes for the Reds' 3-3 draw with Benfica in midweek.
Coming in the middle of a Man City double-header, the forward was benched along with Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara as the German rotated his side to face the Portuguese outfit, with the Reds still chasing an unprecedented quadruple.
Salah has not been at his best in recent weeks, with the forward not scoring from open play since mid-February, with international heartbreak in the Africa Cup of Nations final and World Cup qualifiers, as well as Anfield future, perhaps contributing as well as fatigue. Yet Klopp admitted he always planned to not start the forward against Benfica when explaining his decision to rotate his side, revealing his players aren't given a say if they feel fresh enough to start or not.
