Arne Slot has sought to put a line through the Mohamed Salah situation at Liverpool by insisting there are no further issues to “resolve,” with the winger now like any other player.
Salah started against Brighton on the bench, the fifth game in a row he has not started, but got his opportunity quicker than expected after an injury to Joe Gomez.
The Egyptian performed admirably in his final game before he heads off for the Africa Cup of Nations, and Slot’s verdict is that the situation has been resolved.
In his press conference after the win, which saw Salah assist the second goal, he was asked if he was satisfied that all issues had been resolved.
Slot replied: “There is no issue to resolve, for me he is now same as any other player.
“You talk to your players if you are happy or unhappy with things, but there is nothing for me to talk about what happened after Leeds.”
And as for whether he hopes Salah will be back after his time with Egypt, Slot was quick to say: “Yes. He’s a Liverpool player and when he’s there, I like to use him when we need him.
“Today he didn’t start, as he did a few times before now, but in the season before he started almost every game, but when he came on, he had a performance like you would want him to give.
“He was close to another assist, I think he was shocked to see Virgil next to him! He was a threat and that’s very important because if you play with your attackers you hope they are a threat.”
That was not all that was said about Salah, with Slot peppered with questions about his winger. And this is what he had to say.
Was it an easy decision to have Salah in the squad? What changed?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, December 13, 2025: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah tapping the badge after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“I think the reason why he wasn’t in Milan was his interview,” Slot started. “And then the question is always, and everybody has a different opinion about that, should he be once, twice, three times, four times, four months, 12 years [out of the team].
“Every manager makes different decisions in that, but he wasn’t involved in the game against Milan and I spoke to him yesterday.
“As I usually never say anything about what we talk about, I’m not gonna make an exception now, but I think actions speak louder than what was said.
“He was in the squad again, and when I had to make my first substitution I brought him in, and he performed as I think every fan, including me, would like him to perform today.”
Was it Salah’s last Liverpool game? Is he coming back?
“I think he wasn’t the only player who walked around the pitch thanking the fans because the fans deserved a thank you from us,” Slot replied in relation to Salah’s applause of Anfield.
“I think our players worked incredibly hard today to keep a clean sheet, and for the first time in weeks, maybe I should say months, we had a little bit of luck with that as well.
“Today we definitely conceded chances, but they didn’t go in.
“Mo’s going to go to AFCON now, I hope he’s going to do very well and, in the meantime, we have to play here without him with not that many players available at the moment.”