Arne Slot has broken silence over Mohamed Salah’s decision to leave Liverpool.
The players have returned from international duty and must now direct all focus to Man City at the weekend, and a Champions League quarter-final against the defending champions not long after.
Alexander Isak is back training and Salah is expected to be fit to play at the Etihad as well. It’s the first stop on what will be a monumental farewell tour for a true club legend. Slot has one request for the fans in the coming weeks, and it centres around the Egyptian.
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Arne Slot before Brighton and Hove Albion v Liverpool - Premier League. Enzo Maresca Manager on the sidelines during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Leicester City.
Credit: Justin Setterfield/Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images
Arne Slot wants fans to get behind all Liverpool players, not just Salah
It should be emphasised that Slot’s interview, as seen on LFC TV, was overwhelmingly positive. Despite Salah deciding to leave Liverpool, it appears they have buried the hatchet.
That will only help the Reds’ chances of achieving something this season. He does, however, have one concern.
As he explains: “There’s every right that it should be about Mo for everything that he does for this club, but we are playing for something special and I think every player needs the support of our fans in the upcoming period.
Arne Slot gives instructions to Mohamed Salah before bringing him on as a substitute during Liverpool's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
“Mo will 100 per cent sure get it – and until now I’ve always felt that all of our players have felt that support when they were playing. We need this because [we have] challenging games.”
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It’s hard to picture anything but a wall of Salah banners and jerseys lining the Anfield stands between now and May, and he deserves it all. Slot wants to make sure that doesn’t take away from what Liverpool are able to achieve on the pitch.
Salah made a great first impression on Slot at Liverpool
Most of the interview consisted of Slot giving Salah his flowers after a phenomenal career. He praised his consistency, his production and the entertainment he got personally from watching the Egyptian in a red shirt.
His first encounter with Salah confirmed everything he had already believed about the 33-year-old.
As he recalls: “I started working with him and already the first day I was impressed by his professionalism because as with any season, it starts with a test that shows how much they did in the off-season and he beat all of them. He was the fittest player that came back, and I think that’s the ideal situation that you want as a manager: that your star player comes back as fit as he did.
“He had nothing to prove, but for himself he had a lot to prove because Mo always thinks he has to prove something every three days. That hunger never stops and that is something that I find most special about him.”
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Mohamed Salah of Liverpool looks on during the Premier League match between Brentford and Liverpool at Gtech Community Stadium
Credit: Liverpool FC/Getty Images
That insane work ethic is what made Salah so special. Ability is one thing, but the motivation to maximise it is something else entirely.
For all their clashes, Salah and Slot have experienced winning together at the highest level. The Dutchman has the utmost respect for the Liverpool legend, who he won’t celebrate losing at the end of the season.
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