Mohamed Salah’s long-term Liverpool future has been cast into doubt following his interview after Leeds United.
The Egyptian did not start three Premier League matches in a row before dropping a scathing assessment of Arne Slot and the Reds.
As expected, Salah won’t play against Inter Milan on Tuesday evening, being left out of the squad entirely.
The 33-year-old will depart Liverpool on December 15 to link up with Egypt for the AFCON, leaving his club to continue damage control on what was seemingly a calculated move on the winger’s part.
What’s your reaction to Jamie Carragher’s verdict on Mohamed Salah’s comments? 💣
“I thought it was a disgrace, what he did after the game. Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst, I don’t think it was. When Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he’s done four times in eight years at Liverpool, its choregraphed with him and his agent to cause maximum damage.”
Jamie Carragher on Mohamed Salah’s interview
Mohamed Salah interview was not emotional
It is very rare that we see Salah actually stop and do interviews after a game.
As Jamie Carragher pointed out on this week’s Monday Night Football, he has spoken in the mixed zone less than a handful of times during his time at the club.
He did so previously when mentioning his Liverpool contract situation, which eventually led to a new deal being handed out.
Now, comments made by journalist Paul Gorst suggest Salah planned his latest interview in advance, rather than it being a sudden outburst brought on purely by emotion.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney show, he said: “He [Salah] walked past and I said to him, as I do most weeks, Mo, have you got two minutes? And 99 times out of 100, it’s normally just not today and a bit of grinning. And it’s a bit of a running joke with myself on the patch because he does it every week.
“But he said to me, ‘I’m just going to get a shower and I’ll be back.’ And I wasn’t sure whether that was being sarcastic because he hadn’t played. You know, it was a bit of a dig.”
Salah was seemingly pretty calm when walking through the mixed zone initially, making plans to return after a shower.
If it was an act of pure emotion, he would have stopped straight away and let his feelings out there and then, rather than returning after changing, but it clearly wasn’t.
What we know about Arne Slot’s future after Mohamed Salah interview
While it seems to have been a calculated move on the part of the Liverpool winger, it has not had the desired impact.
The latest news coming out of Anfield is that those in a position of power are still backing Slot.
It’s thought that results on the pitch, not the actions of Salah, will dictate the Dutchman’s future.
The Reds are left in a tricky situation as a result, as they may be forced to move on one of their greatest players if they are indeed going to stick with Slot in the coming weeks.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
