Arne Slot to decide Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool fate after crunch talks

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Arne Slot says he will have a conversation with Mohamed Salah and decide whether to recall the forward to his Liverpool squad based on those discussions ahead of facing Brighton at Anfield on Saturday. Salah was dropped from Liverpool’s squad that travelled to Inter Milan on Tuesday after his explosive interview following the draw at Leeds and claiming he had been “thrown under the bus”.

Slot said he has “no reasons” for not wanting Salah to stay after the player claimed their relationship had broken down but the head coach made the decision, backed by Liverpool’s hierarchy, to omit the 33-year-old from his plans for the Inter match, which Liverpool won 1-0. On whether Salah, who is Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all time, would return to the squad ahead of a potential Anfield farewell, Slot said: "I will have a conversation with Mo this morning, the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow.” Salah has been an unused substitute for two of Liverpool’s last three games and has not started any of the last three amid Liverpool’s worst run of results in 70 years, with the star forward claiming he had “earned” his position in the team.

The Egyptian will attract interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia in January but The Independent understands Slot’s decision to leave Salah out of his plans was influenced by his upcoming departure to Afcon and Slot suggested Salah still could have a future at Anfield. The decision to play a player or have them in the squad is entirely up to me.” Slot said that Federico Chiesa could return to his squad after illness but that Cody Gakpo and Wataru Endo will be out for a “few weeks”.