What next for Salah and Liverpool?

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Before Afcon, manager Arne Slot did not start him for five consecutive games.Those close to the situation insist a statement on his social media channels was considered as an option instead of the interview at Leeds, but such was Salah's anger at the way he felt he had been treated that he wanted to come out all guns blazing. One member of the Egypt national team setup told BBC Sport that it was the happiest they had seen Salah - who described it as "the best camp" of his life.On his return to Liverpool he went straight back into the team, and after Liverpool beat Brighton in the FA Cup this month - a game in which he claimed a goal and an assist - Slot made a point of highlighting Salah's off-the-ball work.

"What I like the most is he is scoring goals [which you] almost expect - but he also helps the team a lot defensively and that is something very positive," said Slot.In terms of winning possession back across the pitch and the final third, Salah has improved compared with last season.He has two goals and four assists in those eight games since his return, yet for a man who has grown accustomed to the extraordinary, the key metric is where he is lacking.You have to go back to November for his last Premier League goal, and if he does not score against West Ham at Anfield on Saturday (15:00 GMT), it will be 10 games without a goal in the top flight. This is already the longest drought of his Premier League career."He sets his own standards and those are so, so high that the moment he doesn't score for a few games, people are immediately surprised.

That's probably the biggest compliment he can get," said Slot on Friday.Salah is indeed a victim of his own standards and as such, his drop-off has been felt dearly. For now, he is still smiling and happy to be back where he feels he belongs - starting matches for Liverpool.He may have won the lot already but if this is the last few months of his life as a Liverpool player, he will be determined to add a special ending to an already remarkable chapter.