Gerard revealed what happened between him and Salah after the famous interview, saying: “I spoke to him about that interview at the time, and I told him: ‘Don’t repeat what you did and leave things shrouded in doubt.’ I spoke to him directly.”
He explained: “He sends me text messages every now and then, or I send him a text, and that’s best if I’m going somewhere with Leo. Just so that Leo [Gerard’s son] can see him.”
He added: “I’m not close to him, but this gave me the chance to say to him: ‘You’ve been here for eight or nine years, you came here and built this legacy. Just leave on your own terms in the right way.’”
Salah, who sits third on Liverpool’s all-time goalscoring list with 255 goals, has struggled to find the net with his usual consistency this season, having scored just five goals in 22 Premier League matches so far.
His dip in form led to Klopp dropping the Egyptian winger during the winter, when Liverpool were going through a difficult spell, prompting Salah to speak out in the mixed zone after the Reds’ thrilling 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road just before Christmas.
Gerrard continued: “Salah is still a bit affected by the incident. He was a substitute coming in and out of the team at the time. He was upset. But I thought it was a shame that he left in January and simply walked away.”
He added: “I understand both sides. Now that I’ve analysed the situation, I understand both sides.”