Arne Slot on 'indication' of Mo Salah start at Leeds United with Liverpool thinking and admission
Liverpool visit Leeds United on Saturday with Mo Salah having dropped to the bench for their last two games.
Boss Arne Slot has responded to an “indication” that Mo Salah will return to Liverpool’s starting line up for Saturday evening’s Premier League showdown against Leeds United at Elland Road.
Reds star Salah has struggled to hit top form so far this season and Slot took the big decision to drop the Egyptian to the bench for the trip to West Ham United at the end of last month.
Salah stayed on the bench as an unused substitute as the Reds ended a run of three straight defeats with a 2-0 victory and Salah was again named amongst the substitutes for Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland.
Salah, though, was then brought on at the interval as Cody Gakpo was taken off but Slot has said the decision is not necessarily an indication that Salah is now poised to return to the starting line up.
Instead, the Reds boss says Salah is “always” in his mind to start after his exceptional contributions for the club. Slot also admitted it was absolutely normal for there to be so much talk about the recent decision to drop Salah to the bench.
“Because we have so many good players”
Speaking at Friday’s pre-match press conference, Slot was asked whether bringing Salah on at the break on Wednesday was an indication of a possible return to the starting line up this weekend.
Slot reasoned: “No but I think that every player is in my mind to start a game of football because we have so many good players and Mo has been such an exceptional player for us.
"He is always in my mind to either start or to come in."
Asked if he could understand the chat about Salah though, Slot admitted: “Of course and he maybe even deserves that because he has been so influential for this club, and for me and for his team mates for six or seven years already.
"It's completely normal. If I don't play players that just came to the club we are already talking about it so then it's completely normal that people talk about it when he isn't playing."