-
Beth Lindop
Liverpool’s coach Arne Slot has announced the departure date for Mohamed Salah, who is set to join the Egypt national team for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah will leave on December 15, as the tournament is scheduled from December 21 to January 18.
Slot commended Salah’s professionalism after the forward was not included in the starting eleven during Liverpool’s 2-0 triumph over West Ham United.
Goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo brought an end to Liverpool’s streak of three consecutive defeats at the London Stadium, with Salah remaining an unused replacement.
This marks the first time since April 2024, during Jürgen Klopp’s tenure, that the Egyptian forward has been relegated to the bench for a league match.
In Slot’s words, “It’s reasonable to assume that Salah was disappointed about not starting, which is a typical response from a player of his caliber.”
He continued, “He has been exceptional for this club over the years, and he will continue to be in the future. It’s normal for any player not to be happy about being benched.” Slot praised Salah’s reaction, stating, “He remained supportive of his teammates and exhibited great professionalism throughout the day and training sessions.” He acknowledged Salah’s discipline in maintaining high standards of fitness, which allows him to perform consistently, regardless of whether he plays or not.
– What the Big Six Premier League teams need to accomplish before the January transfer window
– Hillsborough: Report regarding the sporting disaster set to be released on Tuesday
– ‘Without question’ regarding Florian Wirtz’s extraordinary talent – Liverpool’s Mac Allister
In Sunday’s match against West Ham, Isak netted his inaugural league goal for Liverpool, while fellow summer transfer Florian Wirtz also delivered a strong performance.
When asked about the possibility of fielding the same lineup against Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday night, Slot remarked, “I haven’t focused much on that yet; we had recovery yesterday, and we will train to see how the players are feeling.”
“Florian has been out for about a week and a half of training, so it was great to see him get so many minutes. Joe Gomez also played well. It’s exciting to see Florian contribute positively, although I’ve noticed his quality for some time now, and it was encouraging to see Alex score his first goal.”);
He added, “We need to monitor how he trains today; another player mentioned feeling some cramping, so we’ll assess how they all do.”