Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will not want his time at Anfield to fizzle out, with former Reds man Stephen Warnock insisting that the Egyptian will regain his form despite a tough start to the new season.
Salah has only scored five times in 17 appearances so far this season for Liverpool, with Arne Slot's team on an almost unprecedented run of just three wins in their last 12 games. The star man as the Reds won the Premier League title only a few months ago, Salah, like the team as a whole, has seen his form dramatically slide.
But Warnock says Salah will be fine this season, with the 33-year-old certainly closer to the end of his Liverpool career than the start. He still has more than 18 months left on the contract extension he signed in April.
"Salah won't want his Liverpool career to fade out," Warnock told Which Bookie. "He'll want to go out on a high.
"He won't want to be remembered for Liverpool giving him a new contract and that turning out to be the wrong decision because he dropped off.
"He'll come back with a bang at some point, but that requires everyone else around him to click as well. At the moment, the team are not playing well as a collective.
"Naturally, we're all looking at the star player, highlighting his performances and suggesting that he should be out the team. But there are other players who have also been below par."
Liverpool has scored just one goal in the past three games.
Liverpool has scored just one goal in the past three games. (Image: 2025 DeFodi Images)
Salah will almost certainly be in the team when Liverpool takes on West Ham United this weekend. But he will soon head off to play for his country at AFCON, when Slot will have to do without him.
Jeremie Frimpong, who should be at least close to a return from injury by the time Salah departs, is one option to fill in. Federico Chiesa is another, though he has rarely started since he arrived from Juventus.
"This is maybe a snapshot of the future of Liverpool when Mo Salah moves on, Virgil van Dijk moves on, and Alisson moves on," Jamie Carragher said on CBS Sports this week, with the outfield duo struggling for form.
"Liverpool in 2018, under Klopp, starts this journey of being a great team and then seven years later Slot comes in. The catalyst for Liverpool at the very start of that run was Alisson, Van Dijk and Salah.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
"Alisson's injured a lot now, so he doesn't play so much. But you're watching Van Dijk now, not the same player, and most Salah looks like his legs have gone.
"I don't like criticizing them, and I think some of the criticism of them this season as players, has been harsh. You're always looking for your leaders in your team to step up when things are not going well.
"Now I've been critical of Salah off the pitch. I want him to come out and do an interview tonight and speak to the Liverpool supporters about what the players are going to do, what's going on in the dressing room, giving the supporters hope that things are going to improve.
"I don't like criticizing them on the pitch, because they're absolutely legendary what they've done, and the legs have just gone, especially with Salah.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Liverpool FC 2025/26 kits
"Van Dijk now can't help other players. He needs help himself, and that just means that he's a normal center-back, like I was at one stage, so maybe he's not superhuman right now. But they've been that good for the football club.
"I look at some of the others. Step up. Can you only play well when they play well, or they carry you? Their seasons last season were off the scale, and everybody else enjoyed that win in the league, and they're all league champions.
"They got it on the CV, and great, but when they're not there, where are they? Where are the others? Where are the other players? So that's why I get angry about talking about the manager, but it's inevitable and something could happen."
Liverpool.com says: Salah, in particular, has really struggled this season. He made next to no impact against PSV and hasn't even really showed flickers of his old self. There could be a multitude of reasons for that, and AFCON might provide the chance to reset.