Arne Slot says he cannot guarantee that Mohamed Salah will play for Liverpool again, even as he denied suggestions that their relationship has collapsed.
The Liverpool manager addressed the issue after leaving the Egyptian star out of the squad for the Champions League trip to face Inter Milan.
Slot told reporters he had not sensed any breakdown, saying he didn’t “feel that at all,” even though Salah publicly claimed he felt “thrown under the bus” and insisted he no longer had a relationship with the manager.
Salah made those remarks after being benched for a third straight match in the 3-3 draw with Leeds.
Despite Salah training with the first team earlier in the day, Slot still chose not to take him to Italy.
When asked if the 250-goal forward had played his final game for Liverpool, Slot admitted, “I have no clue. I cannot answer that question at this moment in time.”
Slot said Salah was entitled to feel frustrated but added that “he doesn’t have the right to share it with the media,” suggesting that the public comments had only intensified tension around the team during a difficult spell.
Liverpool are ninth in the Premier League and have won just four of their last 15 matches in all competitions.
Their European form has also struggled, sitting 13th in the Champions League group after a bruising 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven.
Salah, the highest-paid player in Liverpool’s history and central to their Premier League and Champions League triumphs, has also been far from his best this season, scoring only four goals in 13 league appearances, a sharp contrast to his usual output.