Roy Keane has given a refreshingly nuanced verdict on Mo Salah’s comments on social media over the weekend in which he aimed a thinly-veiled swipe at Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
The Egyptian’s public grievances about the Reds results, tactics and culture this season have predictably received a fiery response from numerous pundits.
Steve Nicol bemoaned a ‘lack of class‘ from the winger, while Wayne Rooney went as far as insisting that our number 11 should be let ‘nowhere near the stadium‘ for what’ll be his farewell appearance at Anfield on Sunday.
Speaking on Stick to Football, Keane didn’t get worked up over what Salah said on social media, instead claiming that Slot and Liverpool ought to have bigger priorities.
The ex-Manchested United captain said: “It’s not good from the manager’s point of view, but if you’re a player in the dressing room, I think you roll with all of that…I wouldn’t be losing sleep over it. If I was in the dressing room, would I be upset with him?
“I don’t know if it sounds good, but I wouldn’t be going, ‘Oh that’s out of order, that’s scandalous’. For a manager, you’re going, ‘That’s not nice, but it’s not my priority at the moment’. Salah is leaving; let him get off that chest and [Slot] is trying to rebuild the club for next year. If I was Slot, I’d be more annoyed with the players’ performances than that.”
When comparisons were made with the explosive manner of Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from Old Trafford in 2022, Keane argued that mercurial players like Salah are indulged over such behaviour because they consistently deliver match-winning contributions.
He said: “We mentioned about Ronaldo – why do we let players off with this sort of thing? Pochettino was talking about going back to Maradona. Why do you tolerate all these boys? Because they win you the game at the weekend. You wouldn’t tolerate that from an average full-back.
“What comes with greatness – Ronnie O’Sullivan, go back to George Best – there’s an edge to them. They will get things off their chest, they will go drinking or go missing, but you go, ‘You know what? I kind of need you’.”
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While Keane isn’t necessarily condoning Salah for airing his grievances on social media, we get the sense that he doesn’t necessarily disagree with what the winger said and doesn’t view it as a particularly egregious thing to do.
With respect to the Irishman, who’s renowned for shooting from the lip in his punditry, his take on the Egyptian’s online activity is a nuanced one, acknowledging that the 33-year-old has so often delivered for his team when it counts the most.
We wouldn’t be surprised if Keane privately agreed with the player, with both men known for their relentless drive for excellence and minimal tolerance for those who compromise on standards – it infamously cost the now-Sky Sports pundit the honour of captaining his country at a World Cup.
Salah might’ve had his least productive season at Liverpool this year but his legend status among the fan base hasn’t been affected, considering his exceptional output over eight previous campaigns (257 goals, the third-highest in the club’s history).
Rest assured that he and Andy Robertson will both receive the most raucous of send-offs at Anfield next Sunday, and rightly so.
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