Former Liverpool legend Jamie Redknapp has confessed he would be "amazed" if Mohamed Salah sees out his Anfield deal, suggesting the Egyptian's bond with the club has reached "breaking point." The Sky Sports pundit even hinted that Salah could depart as early as January. Redknapp expressed concerns that Salah and Liverpool might be heading for an acrimonious parting after the forward was dropped for the second consecutive match against Sunderland.
The 33-year-old was introduced from the bench at half-time but failed to inspire Liverpool to victory in their 1-1 draw with the impressive Black Cats. Last April, Salah signed a new deal with Liverpool, tying himself to Merseyside until 2027. The fresh contract followed one of Salah's most outstanding campaigns at the club. He proved pivotal in Liverpool's Premier League success last season, finding the net 29 times and contributing 18 assists in 38 league appearances.
However, the Egyptian's displays appear to have declined dramatically this term. Salah isn't alone in his struggles. Much of Arne Slot's squad has failed to discover their form, mounting pressure on the Dutchman amid a concerning run of results.
But despite Salah's reliability for Liverpool fans across multiple seasons, his dip in performance has seen him dropped from Slot's last two starting line-ups. Redknapp believes their relationship has reached a pivotal moment and worries that Salah and Liverpool might be heading towards an acrimonious split - because the Egyptian will feel let down by his manager.
"He's a Premier League great, a Liverpool great and that's why I don't think this is going to end well," he remarked on Sky Sports.
"It will be a difficult situation now because the manager, when you've got someone who is so good, so important to the team, in and around the dressing room and how they react and act in training.
"He's not going to want to be on the bench, he hasn't signed this contract to see his career out. He wants to play week in, week out.
"I'll be amazed if he sees out the last two years of his contract, or year and a half. I don't think this helps the situation one bit. Nothing will surprise me in football - whether it's in January or maybe in the summer.
"If the right club was to come around... a lot will be decided by this man. He's earned that right. And if he says: 'Look, if I'm not going to be a starter for you, I'm not one of those players who is going to hang around. I will go wherever it takes.' I still feel he will want to play in Europe.
"The first thing we're all going to say is he'll go to Saudi - he's obviously a legend in that part of the world - or he'll want to go to the US, but this for me now is a real breaking point in the relationship.
"He'll feel let down and, like you say, maybe even blamed for what's going on. But while the team is winning without him... I saw those stats and they're pretty good when he doesn't play.
"No one is indispensable, time waits for no one, and it's going to be difficult now."
Earlier this week, Slot admitted that Salah was unhappy about being dropped for the West Ham win and revealed his reaction to Wednesday's call.
Before the match, he explained: "We didn't have a long conversation, this time and also not the one before West Ham. We spoke a lot after the Frankfurt game and now not as much as that time.
"I think he reacts like you want a top professional to react and that is he trained really hard and good the day after the game at West Ham and trained good yesterday, he's really positive towards his team-mates.
"In that sense, he's an example, he's been an example to all those players when he plays and now he's an example when he doesn't play."