Arne Slot appears to be tired of talking about the Mohamed Salah saga, with the Liverpool boss letting out a sigh when asked about his relationship with the Egyptian in the first question at his press conference on Friday.
Slot and the Reds are preparing to face Tottenham Hotspur on the road on Saturday, and Salah will not be involved after heading to the Africa Cup of Nations. The Dutchman might have hoped that Salah's absence would have taken attention away from his fractious relationship with his superstar forward.
But the first question he faced in the press conference to preview Liverpool's visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was about Salah. Slot was asked if he and the player would remain in conversation while the latter is representing his country in Morocco, and if Salah would be instantly reintegrated to the Liverpool squad when he returns to Merseyside after the tournament.
Slot audibly sighed in response to the question, before replying: "I said last week, actions speak louder than words. We moved on, he was in the squad and was first sub.
"Now he is at AFCON, big games for him and the country, so it is fair to them and us that all the focus is over there for him and no distractions for me saying anything about his time at Liverpool here. He is there, so it is fair for that country and him and us to talk about Spurs."
Salah, for so long the Reds' talisman, has paid the price for Liverpool's poor form this season. The 33-year-old was dropped from the starting lineup after the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield last month, starting on the bench for the past four Premier League games.
He was booted from the squad entirely for the Champions League trip to Inter Milan on Dec. 9 after he gave an explosive interview in the Elland Road mixed zone following the 3-3 draw with Leeds United, when he was an unused substitute.
Salah claimed he had been "thrown under the bus" by Liverpool, being scapegoated for the club's dismal start to the defense of its Premier League title.
When asked about his relationship with the head coach, he added: "There's no relationship between us. It was a very good relationship and now all of a sudden there is no relationship."
After being told to stay at home for the trip to Italy, Salah was reintegrated to the squad for Saturday's Premier League clash with Brighton, and he came off the bench in the first half to replace the injured Joe Gomez. Salah assisted Hugo Ekitike's second goal in the 2-0 win at Anfield.
Slot has repeatedly tried to downplay the claim that there is a rift between him and Salah, and the Egyptian's involvement at AFCON will give the head coach some respite from the messy saga. But Salah's future at Anfield remains decidedly uncertain with the January transfer window fast approaching.