Liverpool coach Arne Slot delivers final verdict on Mohamed Salah controversial saga
Mohamed Salah became one of the central figures in the most heated storyline of the first half of the 2025-26 season after the Liverpool star publicly addressed his lack of playing time during the campaign. Now competing in the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt, Reds head coach Arne Slot has issued his final verdict on the situation involving the forward.
After being left as an unused substitute against Leeds United, Salah delivered a fiery response that included a blunt remark: “I don’t know why I’m sitting on the bench. It feels like the club is throwing me under the bus.” The Egyptian was then left out of the squad against Inter Milan before returning in the Premier League clash against Brighton, where he received a warm reception from fans, who applauded and gave him a standing ovation.
In an interview published on Wednesday, December 25, with Sky Sports, Slot was asked whether the situation with Salah had been put to rest, and his answer was direct: “Yeah, I think when I used him in the squad again, that was already a sign that we’ve moved on, and I brought him in the first substitution I made.“
Addressing the end of the saga, Slot also emphasized the need to shift focus toward the immediate future. “We’ve moved on, but now he’s at the AFCON, and he has important games over there. So it’s fair to him and to the Egypt team that we don’t talk about him as much here if it comes about Liverpool, and that’s also fair we have because we have to play a lot of games as well,” he added.
Currently competing at AFCON, Slot concluded by underlining the importance of resolving the issue before the tournament began: “I think it’s in the best interest of us, him, and Egypt that we’ve already shown with actions that we’ve moved on after his Leeds interview, and now he needs his full focus on Egypt, and we need our full focus over here.”
When could Salah return to play for Liverpool?
Mohamed Salah is one of several Premier League stars who have departed for international duty to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations. With league play continuing in his absence, questions remain about how many matches the Egyptian forward could miss before returning to Merseyside.
Egypt currently sit second in Group B with three points, tied with group leaders South Africa, while Zimbabwe and Angola remain at the bottom without a point. Salah’s side is viewed as a strong candidate to advance to the knockout rounds, which would extend his time away from Liverpool.
The AFCON round of 16 will take place between January 3 and 6, followed by the quarterfinals on January 9 and 10, the semifinals on January 14, and the third-place match and final on January 17 and 18, respectively. Depending on Egypt’s run, Salah could miss up to eight matches for Liverpool, potentially returning on January 21 for the Champions League fixture against Olympique Marseille, a significant absence for a team that has struggled for consistency this season.