Gary Lineker has offered an intriguing explanation for Mohamed Salah’s dip in form this season. The Egyptian forward, who was sensational last year with a record-breaking 29 goals and 18 assists in 38 Premier League games, seems to be struggling under Arne Slot’s Liverpool. Many even felt Salah deserved Ballon d’Or recognition for his incredible 2024/25 campaign.
Now 33, some decline was inevitable, but few anticipated it would happen so quickly. So far this season, Salah has managed only two goals and two assists in seven league matches. While those numbers aren’t terrible, his overall influence on games has noticeably faded. Once the driving force of Liverpool’s attack, he now looks a shadow of the player who terrorized defenses for years.
Lineker believes there’s more to Salah’s struggles than just age. He thinks the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a major factor. With the right-back leaving for Real Madrid in the summer, Liverpool have rotated several replacements — Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, and even Dominik Szoboszlai — none of whom have managed to replicate Trent’s attacking impact.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said:
> “I think they’re really missing Trent. People can talk about his defending, but what he brings offensively is irreplaceable. There isn’t another right-back in world football who plays the way he does. I also think Mo [Salah] is missing him — that link-up they had was special.”
He added that while Liverpool were occasionally exposed defensively when Trent pushed forward, the team always had cover from players like Jordan Henderson or Szoboszlai, making the trade-off worthwhile.
Interestingly, Trent’s move to Madrid hasn’t gone perfectly either. Since arriving for £10 million, he’s fallen behind Dani Carvajal in the pecking order and slipped out of England contention ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Still, Lineker believes it’s far too early to panic. Despite Salah’s slower start and the team’s adjustment period under Slot, Liverpool remain second in the Premier League — just one point behind Arsenal — and already showed their potential with a seven-game winning streak earlier in the season. With a clash against Manchester United on October 19, the Reds have every chance to rediscover their spark.
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