A first Liverpool player has spoken out about Mo Salah being dropped following comments made about the club and Arne Slot.
After being an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday, Salah went out of his way to speak to reporters in the Elland Road mixed zone to get some things off his chest.
In an explosive interview, Salah claimed that Liverpool had "thrown me under the bus" and that it "is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame".
He also said he and Slot "don’t have any relationship" and stated that "someone doesn’t want me in the club".
Advert
Naturally the comments caused a huge stir and Slot addressed them in his press conference ahead of the Champions League clash with Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Salah was left out of the travelling squad for the fixture, with Slot stating that Liverpool had "to react as a club" and revealing that he was "surprised" by the remarks.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was also on press conference duty and he spoke about the situation, calling Salah's omission a "consequence" of his antics.
"It is not an easy situation, but as a group we take as best as we can take," Alisson told reporters in Monday's presser.
"We have the personal relationship with him, I have been playing with Mo since I came to Europe, one year in Roma, eight with Liverpool. He is a great guy, great character and a legend with Liverpool FC. It is not something that makes me happy. But we have in football not too much time to stay moaning about any situation.
"We have a big challenge tomorrow, a big team to play against. Inter has been doing so well this season, so my focus and the focus of the team is on the challenge we are going to face tomorrow.
"We don't spend much time away from the training ground. We are good friends. We share good moments, happy moments so that creates a bond. We will have a conversation but that is personal."
Alisson continued: "Him not being available is just a consequence of what he did and he is smart enough to know that. I didn't speak to Mo about that. We have a good relationship. It is not just a teammate, we spend so much time together, we don't spend much time away from the training ground. We are good friends. We share good moments, happy moments so that creates a bond. We will have a conversation but that is personal."
Alisson and Roma have been teammates for nine years and the situation has raised questions as to whether Salah will play for Liverpool again, even after signing a bumper new contract until 2027.
The Brazilian is hopeful that Salah will pull on the Liverpool shirt again and that the situation is resolved.
He added: "I don't think anything, but I hope he plays again for the club. That's a personal situation between Mo and the club. We as his teammates and his friends, we hope the best thing happens for him, but as Liverpool FC players we want the best for the club as well. We want a win-win situation for everyone."
The most fiery response to Salah's comments came from former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.
Having been mentioned by Salah in his in interview, Carragher pulled no punches ahead of the Wolves vs Manchester United game.
Carragher called Salah a "disgrace" and said stopping in the mixed zone was "choreographed with him and his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position".
He also said that Salah chose this particular instance in a bid to get Salah sacked and called the Egyptian selfish as he mentioned failures with Egypt and previous club Chelsea.
Topics: Arne Slot, Liverpool, Mohamed Salah
Josh Lawless