Salah Set to Return to Liverpool After Afcon
Mohamed Salah is set to return to Liverpool next week, with manager Arne Slot expressing his eagerness to welcome the forward back, even if he had "15 attackers" at his disposal.
For the past month, Salah has been on international duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and will return to Merseyside after Saturday's third-place playoff against Nigeria.
The 33-year-old recently made headlines with a candid interview before departing for Afcon, in which he suggested that "someone doesn’t want me in the club" and revealed that he had lost his connection with Slot.
As a result, he was omitted from the Liverpool squad for their 1-0 victory over Inter Milan, although he came off the bench to provide an assist in the subsequent match against Brighton.
Slot previously stated he had "no clue" whether Salah, who has netted 250 goals in 421 appearances for Liverpool, had played his final game for the club, but he is now prepared to reintegrate him into the squad.
"First of all, he needs to play another important game for Egypt on Saturday before he rejoins us," Slot commented. "I am pleased he is coming back. Mo has been crucial for this club and for me, so I am happy to have him back. Even if I had 15 attackers, I would still be delighted to have him return, but that is not our current situation."
Liverpool has remained unbeaten in six games since Salah's departure for Afcon, securing three victories, and they will face Burnley at Anfield on Saturday at 15:00 GMT.
However, with record signing Alexander Isak sidelined for several months due to surgery on a left leg fracture, Slot will welcome the boost to his attacking options.
The Reds are scheduled to travel to Marseille for a Champions League match on Wednesday, but a decision on Salah's availability for that game has yet to be made, with the possibility of holding him back until the away match against Bournemouth on January 24.
"We are currently discussing [the Marseille game]," Slot explained. "We are in talks with him about expectations for both the Marseille match and our situation here. But first, he needs to focus on his important game on Saturday, and he will be back with us next week."
Regarding their previous public fallout, Slot added, "What occurs between Mo and me, whether on the phone or in person, remains private. I don’t believe it’s necessary to disclose all our private conversations."
Slot also confirmed that Liverpool has no new injury concerns aside from long-term absentees Isak, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni.