Liverpool Drops Salah for Inter Milan Clash After Explosive Interview

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been left out of the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Inter Milan, following a controversial interview in which he accused the club of “throwing him under the bus” and suggested his relationship with head coach Arne Slot had deteriorated.

Sources close to Liverpool told BBC Sport that the decision to remove Salah from selection was taken with the full backing of Slot. The club believes the 33-year-old requires a brief period away from the squad given the timing and nature of his highly public comments. Despite the fallout, the club is not expected to pursue formal disciplinary action.

Salah is scheduled to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations next Monday and now appears likely to miss Liverpool’s Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday as well. The squad travelled to Milan on Monday afternoon, with Slot expected to address Salah’s situation during a news conference alongside goalkeeper Alisson Becker later in the evening.

The forward’s frustration escalated after he remained an unused substitute in Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United the third consecutive match in which he has failed to start. Liverpool surrendered a 2-0 lead in that match, intensifying scrutiny around the team’s performances and Salah’s diminished role.

Salah had previously come off the bench in a 1-1 home draw with Sunderland and watched from the sideline in a 2-0 victory over West Ham. His last start dates back to a heavy 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield in a Champions League group fixture. His most recent goal came in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on 1 November.

This season, the Egyptian star has scored five goals in 18 appearances across the Premier League and Champions League, a modest return compared to last season’s heroics, when his 29 league goals powered Liverpool to the Premier League title.

Salah, who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017 and signed a new two-year contract in April, has been widely celebrated as one of the club’s greatest modern players, amassing 250 goals in 420 appearances. However, BBC pundit and former England striker Wayne Rooney has warned that the current turmoil risks “destroying his legacy,” arguing that Slot should exclude Salah from both the Inter Milan and Brighton fixtures.

Speaking after the draw at Leeds, Salah hinted at uncertainty over his future. “In my head, I’m going to enjoy that game because I don’t know what is going to happen now,” he said. “I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go to the Africa Cup of Nations. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”

Liverpool now face the challenge of managing their European campaign while navigating growing tensions with one of their most influential players, tensions that could shape the remainder of their season and Salah’s future at Anfield.