Mohamed Salah has once again been left out of a matchday squad, though this time it's not as dramatic as his recent exclusion from Liverpool's travelling team for their Inter Milan clash. The Egyptian forward has been absent from the Reds' starting line-up in recent weeks, with his last start being in the 4-1 loss to PSV at the end of last month.
Arne Slot then decided to bench Salah for matches against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds. Despite being brought on at half-time against Sunderland, Salah remained unused in the games against West Ham and Leeds. After Liverpool conceded a last-minute equaliser in the latter match, Salah expressed his dissatisfaction with his current situation in the mixed zone.
The forward criticised Slot and the club, claiming that his relationship with the head coach had completely deteriorated. He felt he was being 'thrown under the bus' and even hinted that his most recent game against Brighton could be his last for Liverpool.
Following these comments, Salah was dropped for the Inter Milan trip but was reinstated to the squad for the Brighton match after a productive discussion with Slot.
Despite starting on the bench against Brighton, Salah still made a significant contribution after coming on in the first half. He assisted Hugo Ekitike for Liverpool's second goal in their 2-0 victory, setting a new record for the most goal contributions for a single club in Premier League history.
Regardless of his disagreement with Slot, the match against Brighton was always going to be Salah's final appearance for the Reds this year due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah is set to lead Egypt at this year's tournament in Morocco and has now joined up with his national squad.
However, after missing Monday's training session, it was no surprise that he wasn't included in the Pharaohs' line-up for their friendly against Nigeria on Tuesday night.
As a result, Salah hasn't started a game for either club or country in his last six matches.
That's likely to change next week when the Africa Cup of Nations begins.
Egypt will start their campaign on Monday against Zimbabwe, before facing South Africa on Boxing Day. Their final group match is against Angola on Monday, December 29.
Salah will miss Liverpool's games against Tottenham and Wolves as a result, and will likely also be absent for Leeds' visit to Anfield on New Year's Day, even if Egypt were eliminated in the group stage.
If the Pharaohs advance in the tournament, with the final scheduled for January 18, Salah could be absent for up to five more club games. Liverpool are set to face Fulham and Arsenal away, before welcoming Barnsley and Burnley at home, all before their second-to-last Champions League group stage match against Marseille on January 21.