Arne Slot admits it is “not nice” seeing Mohamed Salah on the bench, as he highlighted Liverpool’s long-term planning on the right wing.
Salah was named among the substitutes on Sunday for the first time in the Premier League since April 2024 and remained unused as the Reds eased to a 2-0 win at West Ham United.
The Liverpool boss made bold changes after the Egyptian was among several players who struggled for form during a run of nine defeats in 12 games that saw the champions tumble down the table.
The 33-year-old, who has firmly cemented his status as one of the greatest players in the club’s history, is now entering the final 18 months of his contract, with speculation already building over Liverpool’s succession plan.
Of Salah being benched, Slot said: “It is not a nice thing for you, not for a Liverpool fan and not for me, a player that has been so important for us – you want to see him on the pitch.
“I prefer to see Mo on the pitch, scoring his goals and doing something special, rather than the camera being on him when he isn’t in the game.
“He has been so important for us, for so many years, and he will be important for us in the coming days – because it is days as he goes to the AFCON.”
Salah will leave the squad on December 15 to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations and could miss up to eight games as a result.
Liverpool have four fixtures before his departure, beginning with Wednesday’s Premier League meeting with Sunderland.
Slot praised Salah’s response to being dropped as he pushes to reclaim his starting role for the clash against the high-flying Black Cats.
“The reaction of every player in this group, no matter whether he’s playing or not playing, is to bring the best out of yourself every single day you are in this building and when we are playing,” he said.
“That’s exactly the attitude he showed on Sunday and Monday as well. He was good in training, as were all the others.”
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