Arne Slot says he has “no clue” whether Mohamed Salah has already played his final game for Liverpool.
The 33-year-old forward told journalists after Saturday’s 3-3 Premier League draw at Leeds — his third league match this season in which he did not start — that he felt he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club and that his relationship with head coach Slot had broken down.
Since then, Salah has been left out of the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash away to Inter Milan, though he will not face disciplinary action over his comments.
Asked at Monday’s press conference whether Salah had featured for Liverpool for the last time, Slot replied: “I have no clue. I cannot answer that question at this moment in time.”
Slot added that he believes “there’s always a possibility for a player to return”, but admitted he was surprised by Salah’s outburst: “It was a surprise to me when I heard he gave the comments he gave.”
The Liverpool boss was also asked whether Salah could come back into contention for Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton at Anfield. Slot said that decision would be made after the Inter game.
He added that he would “have to find out why he said what he said” when questioned about whether the situation could have been avoided.
“I have to guess a little bit. Is it because he doesn’t play? Is it about me not playing him? What could I do differently? Playing him. Maybe that is not the reason he thinks and feels this way.
“He has the right to feel what he feels but he doesn’t have the right to share it with the media. He does, but then it is up to us to react on it.”
Slot became Liverpool’s head coach last year and won the Premier League title in his first season in charge.
Salah, who joined the club in 2017, has been one of the Premier League’s standout performers during his time at Anfield.
The forward is due to travel to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt on 15 December and has been linked with a possible January move to the Saudi Pro League.
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