Liverpool face Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday and the injured Mohamed Salah will be a big miss. However, the winger is in a much better situation than when these two clubs clashed in the reverse fixture at Anfield.
Four months ago, Salah found himself confined to the bench against West Ham and Leeds, either side of a run-out as a substitute against Sunderland, before being left out entirely for the Champions League league phase meeting with Inter Milan.
There were fears that last season's top scorer would never recover and his career on Merseyside was over. However, he returned to action against this weekend's opponents Brighton, with Slot U-turning on his treatment of the player.
The timing of the Africa Cup of Nations may have helped, with Salah heading to Morocco after that Brighton win and spending some time out of the spotlight at club level. Even so, the comments about his relationship with Slot left some fearing he might leave as soon as January.
"I could not believe I was sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah said after the 3-3 draw with Leeds. “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.
"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. Seems like someone does not want me in the club. I called my mum and dad and told them to come to the Brighton game.”
Instead, Salah came back and started seven league games on the spin before returning to the bench against Spurs last time out. He has provided one goal and three assists in the league since coming back from AFCON, along with four goals and two assists across six appearances in the Champions League and FA Cup.
The latest of those came in the Champions League this week against Galatasaray.
Salah scored his 10th goal of the season and it was the latest reminder of what the Egyptian can offer and how much his situation has changed.
Slot’s willingness to welcome Salah back into the fold in December is a testament to how much he and Liverpool need one of the heroes of last season’s title win. Now the question is how well they can cope when he isn’t an option.
Salah will skip Saturday's clash at the Amex Stadium but is expected to return to action after the international break.
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