Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been included in their squad for Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, British media have reported. Manager Arne Slot earlier said he had no reason to want Salah to leave Liverpool as the Dutchman prepared for a face-to-face meeting with the Egypt international on Friday. Slot moved to calm speculation over Salah’s future after the 33-year-old’s criticism of the club following last weekend’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United.
The Egyptian said he had been made a scapegoat for Liverpool’s poor form and that his relationship with Slot had deteriorated. His outburst sparked questions about Salah’s future at the Merseyside outfit, who are languishing in 10th place with 23 points from 15 matches, a stark contrast to last year’s title-winning campaign. Salah was left out of the team that traveled to Italy for their 1-0 Champions League victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday. “I will have a conversation with Mo this morning, the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow,” Slot told reporters on Friday.
When asked if he wanted Salah to stay at the club, Slot said: “I have no reasons to not want him to stay.” Pressed on Salah’s status, Slot declined to offer any guarantees. “I think the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. You can keep on trying but there is not much more to say about it,” he said. “After the Sunderland game there were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me.” The decision to leave Salah at home for the trip to Milan was a club decision, Slot said.
“I am always in contact with them (Sporting Director Richard Hughes and Chief Executive of Football Michael Edwards) but when it comes to the decision making of the lineup or the squad, they leave that open to me. That’s not to say I don’t talk to them. Mainly Richard, not Michael. The decision to play a player or have them in the squad is entirely up to me.” There is a question mark over Alexander Isak’s status for Saturday with Slot saying the striker picked up a knock in the first half against Inter, and that he will be evaluated on Friday before they decide whether or not he can start. Slot is pleased with how Isak and Hugo Ekitike have linked up, saying their partnership will continue to improve. “The more they play together, the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will cooperate,” Slot said. “I saw promising things from the both of them, it’s only the second time they’ve played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future.”