There is still a way for Slot to get the best out of Salah at Liverpool, but it's going to be painful - opinion

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Or, at least, it used to be.That the Egyptian was not amongst the scorers during Saturday’s 5-2 win over West Ham, however, was anything but a shock.Salah made it 10 Premier League games without a goal in miserable fashion, barely getting into a game which was as open as they come.It was the latest sad instalment of a season which has quickly turned into a disaster for Salah, with many now predicting a Liverpool exit this summer. If the 33-year-old is to depart, it looks likely to be having relinquished his status as a key man with the Reds.But that does not mean that Salah cannot still be important for Liverpool this season, and it is time for Arne Slot to have an honest conversation about getting the best out of him as an impact substitute.Salah has to accept substitute roleThroughout Salah’s nine years at Liverpool he has retained his status as a nailed-on starter, and deservedly so.As his outspoken reaction to being named on the bench for three consecutive games in December showed, he will not accept being out of the team.

He created nothing at all against West Ham, had only one, wildly off-target, shot and touched the ball just 46 times.The pace of games seems to be troubling him, and by the time the latter stages of matches arrives, he is all out of puff.There are still moments where Salah looks like the player of old, however, and he must now accept that the only way to retain those pieces of brilliance is to put fewer minutes in his legs. From now on, the Liverpool legend must become a player Slot turns to second halves of matches.Salah still has plenty to offer LiverpoolThere is a narrative surrounding Salah that he has become a problem for Slot realising his preferred formation with the Reds and that he is slowly chipping away at his legacy at Liverpool.While neither of these things are especially true, it is correct that Slot’s best XI should not include the Egypt captain anymore.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images Jeremie Frimpong showed his threat again on Saturday and his pace can be a weapon that helps Salah as well.If Frimpong starts at right wing, he can tire his full-back out before Salah comes on to replace him in the final portion of the game.This way, it will be more possible for the former Basel man to impact Liverpool in a positive way. He can still score plenty of goals from the bench, and Salah must accept this for his own good, as well as the team’s.Could he take this into next season?The obvious issue with Salah accepting a more bit-part role – as well as the player’s own potential hostility towards it – is that Liverpool are paying him the biggest contract in the club’s history.While Salah is deserving of that for what he has given the club over nearly a decade, from a purely business point of view that makes little sense.If the veteran winger accepts that he is no longer a regular starter and is happy to play that role for the good of the team until his contract ends in 2027, it could still lead to a greater chance of success on the pitch for Liverpool.