Mohamed Salah agreement reached as Liverpool stare down awkward reminder

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A number of pundits believe Mohamed Salah's poor form for Liverpool this season is partly because of Trent Alexander-Arnold's Anfield exitMohamed Salah has enjoyed an international break to remember. And while it is a fixture that has served Salah well in the past, he will not be able to avoid increasing scrutiny regarding his performances this time around despite his international exploits.The Reds forward boasts three goals and three assists from 10 appearances so far this season, but he has not scored from open playing in the Premier League since the opening day of the campaign.Salah has not been at his best and Liverpool have not been either, with onlookers rushing to provide reasons behind the Egyptian’s apparent decline.For starters, there is the impact of the tragic death of Diogo Jota has had on the entire Reds squad, with Salah moved to tears when joining the Anfield crowd in paying tribute to the Portuguese after the final whistle of the Reds’ win over Bournemouth back in August.The 33-year-old’s age, natural decline and his new lucrative contract have also been suggested, as has Liverpool’s below-par form in general.After a £450m spending spree, Arne Slot’s new-look side are also yet to fully gel, with Salah still forging connections with his new team-mates as a result.But as well as new arrivals coming in, the departures of some of his now former team-mates has also been credited as a reason why the forward has not been at his best so far this season.Gary Lineker claimed that Salah was missing Trent Alexander-Arnold following his below-par performance in the Reds’ loss to Chelsea before the international break.And such a viewpoint has now been echoed by both former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison and former Arsenal and Chelsea star Emmanuel Petit.“The understanding between Trent and Salah on the right flank was excellent,” Petit said when speaking to Boyle Sports, who offer the latest football betting odds.

I can understand the situation, especially with the added pressure of a price tag on their shoulders.“Salah has likely missed Alexander-Arnold, but I think he's truly missed the way Liverpool has played for years.”Meanwhile, Hutchison told online-casinos.com: “Mo Salah's missing Trent. You know, he's missing his passes straight into his feet.“The forward line, even though some of them hadn’t played with Trent, would benefit hugely from his superb 40, 50-yard diagonal balls over the top, sent forward with precision.“Another player that I think they're missing massively is Luis Diaz.

They've lost some massive players.”Hutchison is not the first person to claim Liverpool are missing Diaz either, with former Reds striker Daniel Sturridge claiming similar after the Reds’ loss to Chelsea.But the exit of Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid could well have stung Salah harder, with the England international having been the first-choice right-back behind him for the entirety of his Liverpool career to date before this season.He has only made more career appearances alongside Andy Robertson (323) than Alexander-Arnold (319), with the former Red leading the way prior to his departure.While Alexander-Arnold offered stability behind Salah at right-back for eight consecutive seasons, it has been a polar opposite for Liverpool this season with Dominik Szoboszlai, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong all enjoying mixed success in the position the former Reds vice-captain vacated.Salah has started nine of his 10 appearances so far this season, with each of the trio starting three games each. That is partly what led them to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £116m.With the Reds not at their best, it is easy to point to Alexander-Arnold’s exit as a reason why, with Hutchison and Petit only the latest to make such a claim.Should their fortunes not improve imminently, such calls will only get louder - especially when the England international is winning his race to be fit to return to Anfield with Real Madrid on November 4 and show his former club what they are now missing out on.But with Liverpool now set to return to domestic action after the international break, it will be down to Salah and his team-mates to find a way to silence a growing narrative regarding the struggles of both player and side long before they lock horns with their friend turned foe.