Liverpool legend says Salah showed ‘lack of class’ in statement

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Mo Salah has split opinion with his extraordinary Instagram statement ahead of his final Liverpool appearance.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYThe Egyptian’s comments about wanting the club to recover its “heavy metal” identity have resonated with plenty of supporters, but others feel the timing has created another distraction before a crucial final day.Steve Nicol is firmly in the second camp after delivering a fierce response.Steve Nicol criticises Salah statementSpeaking on ESPN, Nicol made it clear that he could not understand why Salah had chosen to speak so publicly at this stage.The former Liverpool defender said: “To do this now, right at the end of his time at Liverpool, it’s just complete and utter madness.”Nicol then asked: “Why do you want to go ahead and tarnish it?”That is the uncomfortable part of this debate because Salah has earned enormous respect through years of goals, trophies and professionalism.The 33-year-old has been one of the greatest players we have ever seen in a red shirt, and his farewell should have been a moment of total appreciation.Instead, his statement has turned into another flashpoint during a season that has already been full of them.Salah farewell now feels complicatedGary Neville has already described Salah’s statement as pulling “the pin out of a grenade”, and Nicol went even further in questioning the tone of the message.The Scot said: “That is a lack of class from Mo Salah.”That is a huge claim about a player who has usually handled himself so well at Liverpool, and many supporters will feel it is too strong given how much truth there was in parts of Salah’s post.He is right that Liverpool have drifted too far from the aggressive, feared side we once were under Jurgen Klopp.But Nicol’s point is about timing, not whether the problems exist.With Champions League qualification still not secured and Anfield preparing to say goodbye to Salah and Andy Robertson, the club needed unity more than another public argument.Salah remains a Liverpool legend, but this has undeniably made his final week far messier than it needed to be.