Mohamed Salah's decision to announce his Liverpool departure could come back to haunt him, according to Roy Keane. The ex-Manchester United captain believes the announcement could backfire and lead to a sour note if Liverpool's season continues to fall below expectations.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher suggested that the Egyptian talisman will be in line to receive a 'big send-off', though he hopes it will come in Budapest at the Champions League final rather than at Anfield. But Keane could not help but highlight a more morose picture.
Salah is set to bring his Liverpool career to an end after nine years at the club. The 33-year-old revealed he would depart the club with a year of his contract still remaining in the summer, wanting to give supporters transparency at an early stage.
Carragher anticipates that Salah will receive a fond farewell, and believes he has a right to expect one.
Speaking on The Overlap when posed the question about Salah by Gary Neville, Carragher said: "I think a player of that level – that's something I said in January when all the talk of him going to AFCON, 'Will he come back, will he play for Liverpool again?' I think I said at the time, it'll be sad if Mo Salah leaves now. There's still a second half of the season to go, you get that big send-off.
"It's not about a big send off, by the way, it's a nice thing. The best send-off for him is in Budapest. That's what I'm sure he's thinking, he doesn't want his last game to be at Anfield, he wants his last game to be in the Champions League, that will be tough with the draw, but that's what the idea should be."
Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season and Fanatics has cut the price of this season's kits with 'M. Salah 11' printing.
Keane is not convinced it will necessarily pan out so smoothly. "I'm not sure it's ideal timing to announce that," he said in return.
"I don't know why he doesn't wait until the end of the season. Last year, there was the noise, 'This could be my last game at Old Trafford.' He played all of those games last year before he signed his new deal. If Liverpool finish the season really badly, and they've not been great, and he's in games.
"We saw it with Trent a little bit, in different circumstances. Is he leaving and then he has a bad game against United. So just say they come off it in the last month or two, and they don't do anything in the cup matches, and he's not at his best, they'll be saying, 'He's already left the club and his heart is not in it.'"
Keane warned: "I think that can turn a bit nasty, so this idea of a parade... it would be different if they were Arsenal, top of the league, they're going to win the league like last year. I'm not sure about the timing. I don't know why he doesn't wait until the end of the season and go, 'I've done my bit.'"
Carragher chipped in: "I've got no problem with the timing to be fair."
But Keane simply reinforced his point. "If he has a bad game the next two or three weeks, we saw Liverpool fans booing Trent when he was playing against United and not quite at it. Different circumstances, I know," Keane continued.
"If Salah is jumping out of tackles... 'He's already left the building.' Especially when they're trying to battle for fourth or fifth. I just don't know why you don't wait until the end of the season.
"Liverpool have a lot on their plate, don't turn into another circus act, last season got a bit silly towards the end of the season. It can turn the other way, fans can turn a little bit if he's not been at it.
"Just say Liverpool fall off and they don't get the top four or five, they've got teams behind them like Everton, and they finish really badly. Salah's in the game and misses one or two chances, you know what fans are like, 'He's already switched off, he's left the building.'"
