Mohamed Salah is a man of few words. The Liverpool attacker barely does interviews and keeps his answers bare minimum when forced to speak to the press postgame.
Yet after playing a starring role in the Reds' impressive 2-3 win over Bournemouth, the Egyptian talisman made a very blunt statement regarding his contract situation.
Salah's current deal with Liverpool expires in the summer, so he was reasonably asked in the aftermath what stage negotiations on a new agreement were at.
"Well, we are almost in December and I haven't received any offers yet to stay in the club," the 32-year-old told journalists after the game. "I'm probably more out than in.
"You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end, it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven't received anything yet about my future."
Probed further on whether this lack of movement was disappointing, Salah replied: "Of course, yeah. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end, it is not in my hands or the fans' hands. Let's wait and see.
"I'm not going to retire soon, so I'm just playing, focusing on the season, and I'm trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I'm disappointed, but we will see."
His prudence in public statements makes Salah's comments hit harder than other, more vocal players.
You can understand the Egyptian's frustrations. He's given the best years of his career to Liverpool and remains one of the club's best players despite being in his 30s.
However, the nature of modern soccer discards players of this age like never before. Clubs will prioritize under-25 talent over established stars at all costs; you only have to look at Real Madrid, one of Salah's long-term admirers, who'd almost certainly not consider a move for the player now.
Yet Salah's statements have drawn the ire of one of Liverpool's most powerful pundits, ex-Reds defender Jamie Carragher, who took the attacker to task on his statements.
"Right now, there's obviously a big difference in the valuation. What Mo Salah and his agent value themselves at, whether that's financially or in terms of length of contract, to what Liverpool do," he said on SkySports Monday Night Football.
"So the reason Liverpool wouldn't have offered a contract yet is because Mo Salah will turn it down, so they're still in talks. I'm desperate for them to meet in the middle, but I must say I am very disappointed with Mo Salah. That interview yesterday after the game and it comes out today.
"Liverpool have got Real Madrid midweek and they've got Manchester City at the weekend, that's the story for Liverpool right now.
"Mo Salah, we're all quite aware, certainly the local reporters are in Liverpool, that in the seven years he's been at the football club, he's stopped in the mixed zone twice, which is his right, which is absolutely fine.
"But he decided to stop for the third time away at Southampton on the back of winning Liverpool the game and putting that out.
"Now, the most important thing for Liverpool this season is not the future of Mo Salah, it's not the future of Virgil van Dijk, and it's not the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
"The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League. That is more important than any of those players, and if he continues to put comments out or his agent keeps putting cryptic tweets out, that's selfish; that's thinking about themselves and not the football club."
What's The Difference?
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 26: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions ... [+] League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at City of Manchester Stadium on November 26, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)Getty Images
Carragher's memory is short because last season, Salah made a similar fuss by commenting that he was too angry to speak to reporters after a touchline bust-up with then-manager Jurgen Klopp.
That storm in a teacup was also presented as a deeper negative reflection of Salah's character, a deeply unfair assessment.
People like Carragher should remember that in the cutthroat world of soccer, even the most respected legendary players are at risk of being taken advantage of by their clubs.
He comes from a generation when silence was golden and any disputes were kept in-house. But he has also admitted on the podcast The Overlap that during his career, he felt that his loyalty was taken for granted during contract negotiations as a homegrown star.
It's an indication of the harsh nature of soccer that Salah is not the only legendary star to be wondering, after the best part of a decade's worth of service, whether they'll be at their club next season.
Ahead of Manchester City's game against Feyenoord, star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne revealed that contract negotiations to extend his deal, which expires in the summer, had also gone quiet.
"Talks will come, if no talks come it will be my last year. I just want to play good football," he said.
Strangely, despite his timing being the same as Salah's, he was not criticized similarly.
It's weird and depressing that the legendary Liverpool winger is singled out for making a reasonable complaint.
Only Carragher and Salah's other critics can explain why De Bruyne is exempt from the same, if unreasonable, critique.