“I spoke to him…” – Arne Slot sends a telling message about a Liverpool star’s future role

 

 

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has dropped a strong hint that Mohamed Salah is set for a bigger role now that he has returned from AFCON.

The Egyptian star had slipped out of favour earlier in the season following a dip in form, which even sparked a very public disagreement between him and Slot. That tension now appears to be resolved, with the Dutchman eager to reintegrate Salah ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash with Marseille.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Slot dismissed any lingering issues and underlined how valuable Salah remains to his plans.

“I’m really happy he’s back,” Slot said. “Without him we’ve done fairly well defensively and we’ve started to create more chances. And when you’re creating more, it really helps to have Mohamed Salah.

“There’s only one player alive who has scored more goals for this club, but I don’t think I can play Ian Rush anymore! So it’s great to have him back.”

Slot added that his relationship with Salah is back to normal, stressing how limited his wing options have been this season.

“I spoke to him today and I’m pleased he’s back. In the Premier League, only two wingers have played more than 100 minutes for me – Mo and Cody Gakpo.

“Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz can play wide, but those aren’t their natural positions. Mo, on the other hand, has 45 Champions League goals for Liverpool. The next highest is Virgil van Dijk with five. That tells you how important he is.”

With Liverpool struggling domestically and their title hopes all but gone, attention may now turn fully to Europe. The Reds’ rich Champions League history – six titles and three finals under Jurgen Klopp – offers Slot a chance to inspire his side and salvage something memorable from an otherwise disappointing campaign.