Jamie Carragher believes Mohamed Salah will begin his "long goodbye" at Liverpool when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 02: Former Liverpool player and current Sky Sports Pundit Jamie Carragher looks on, while presenting prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Etihad Stadium on May 02, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Jamie Carragher believes Mohamed Salah will begin his "long goodbye" at Liverpool when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations as he tipped the Egypt international to leave at the end of the season.
Salah, who is currently at AFCON in Morocco, hasn't started a Liverpool game since the end of November and has seen the side go on an eight-game unbeaten run with him largely out of the team in recent weeks.
The club's third highest goalscorer of all time featured as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland last month and was brought on after an early injury to Joe Gomez in the 2-0 victory over Brighton but Arne Slot's side have moved into the top four of the Premier League during Salah's absence.
Salah caused controversy last month when he suggested he had been "thrown under the bus" at Liverpool after a run of nine defeats in 12 was followed by him being left out for three successive fixtures and while Slot insists the matter is closed after behind-the-scenes talks, Carragher thinks the No.11 will still depart later this year.
"Will Mohamed Salah still be at Liverpool on February 1, 2026 or September 1, 2026? Yes, and no," Carragher writes in his Telegraph column, which was based around predictions for the New Year. "Given Liverpool’s injury situation following Alexander Isak’s broken leg, the club cannot afford to allow Salah to leave in the January transfer window. "After the bust-up earlier this season, the Africa Cup of Nations has come at a good time for everyone to take a breath. The next few months could turn into a long goodbye for Salah, however. "The current Liverpool era will be forever synonymous with Salah. He is one of the all-time greats of Liverpool and the Premier League, so an emotional farewell at the final game of this season would be the perfect, choreographed send-off."Carragher adds: "My biggest footballing wish for 2026? Wigan Athletic to win promotion from League One (Carragher's son, James, plays for the Latics) into the Championship, Liverpool to win the Champions League, and for Gary Neville to stop predicting Manchester United are going to finish in the top four.
"At least two of those three have a chance of happening."
Liverpool, who are still without Egypt captain Salah, will return to action when they are entertained by Fulham on Sunday.