Salah Liverpool exit row: Why Egypt star is not playing. Is he injured? 'Under the bus' comment explained
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah launched an attack on team manager Arne Slot after the Merseyside team threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Leeds United.
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah has gone from being the team's golden boy to spending his time on the bench this season, and the Egyptian star has made his feelings known about it. The 33-year-old who won the Premier League title twice with Liverpool blasted new manager Arne Slot after the game against Leeds United.
Leeds, who are in the bottom half of the table, recovered from being 2-0 down to drawing the game 3-3, as the Merseyside team saw another game end in a draw. Liverpool, title defenders, now sit at the eighth position on the league table.
What did Mohamed Salah say?
Speaking after the game, Salah didn't hold back. “I don’t know what to say, It’s kind of funny, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a disappointing result for us as a team. We conceded silly goals. I could not help my team-mates because I am on the bench,” he told the media.
Salah added, “I could not believe I was sitting on the bench for 90 minutes. That’s the third time. It’s the first time in my career I think. I am very disappointed, I have done so much for this club over years, especially last season, It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus.”
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He continued, “That’s how I feel it. Someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me a lot in summer. Now I’m on bench, so I can say they haven’t kept those promises. I used to have a good relationship (with Slot). Now we don’t have any relationship and I don't know why. (It) seems like someone does not want me in the club.”
Salah further added, “I called my mum and dad and told them to come to the Brighton game. It doesn't matter if I play or not. I'm going to enjoy it. I am just going to be at Anfield and say goodbye to the fans before the African Cup of Nations, because I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”
In the bombshell interview, he also said, “It’s not acceptable to me to be fair. If I was somewhere else, every club would protect its players. Now it’s: ‘Throw Mo under the bus because he is a problem in a team'. I don’t think I am a problem. I am not fighting for my position every day because I have earned it. I am not bigger than the club. I am not bigger than anything. But I have earned it.”
‘Under the bus’ remark explained
Salah has 190 goals for Liverpool and is the club's leading goal-scorer of all time. He was absent from the West Ham game, which had raised eyebrows, but Slot put it down to squad rotation. However, he was then missing from the starting XI in the Sunderland game as well, which also ended in a draw.
The soccer player has not picked up any injury, but has now hinted that his time with the club might be coming to an end. This makes the January transfer window one to watch, as Salah has previously been linked to the Saudi league, where Cristiano Ronaldo plays.
Salah's remark of being ‘thrown under the bus’ comes amid a poor spell from Liverpool this season. The forward play has not clicked despite the club spending a whopping $309 million, a lot of which went into forward players like Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. Apart from Ekitike, the other two have not had an enviable start to the season. However, Salah's contention seems to stem from the fact that he's been benched amid pressure building on Slot. In the 2025 season, Salah has 4 goals and 2 assists from 13 games. Liverpool face Inter Milan next, as part of the Champions League fixture, on December 10.
