Slot: ‘Hopefully he can make his legacy more special’
Liverpool’s record signing Isak ‘in a really good place’
The Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot, believes Mohamed Salah will “leave the club a legend” after announcing his departure at the end of the season. The Egypt international took to social media last week to reveal he had come to an agreement with the club to end the contract he only extended last summer a year early.
It has been a difficult campaign for the 33-year-old, the low point of which came in December when he said Slot had “thrown him under the bus” by benching him when results took a slide.
The pair appear, on the surface, to have patched up their differences and Slot is looking forward to Salah signing off with a flourish. “The first day I was impressed by his professionalism,” Slot told the club’s website.
“He had nothing to prove but for himself he had a lot to prove because Mo always thinks he has to prove something every three days. That hunger never stops and that is something that I find most special about him. To show that hunger every three days, that professionalism, that commitment to the club, to the team, wanting to score again, always wanting to play – when you take him out three minutes before the end he’s like: ‘Maybe I could have scored one extra!’ – that is what stands out for me.
“Hopefully, he can make his legacy even more special in the upcoming weeks and months where we still play for something special but he will always leave this club as a legend.”
Salah’s early announcement means he will get a fitting farewell, something not always afforded to players who leave during the summer.
Slot said the player warranted that but wanted supporters to get behind the team ahead of a crucial fortnight with an FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester City followed by a last-eight encounter with Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain. “Mo definitely deserves that the fans give him a great farewell,” he added.
“If they want to do it game after game after game, I’m completely fine with that, because it usually helps players if they get the help from the fans – but it would be perfect if it’s not only about Mo.
“There’s every right that it should be about Mo for everything that he does for this club but we are playing for something special and I think every player needs the support of our fans in the upcoming period.”
Liverpool’s bid for Champions League qualification for next season has been boosted by the news £125m British-record signing Alexander Isak is set to return to training on Thursday after more than three months out with a broken leg.
The Sweden international could make the squad for next week’s European away leg in Paris. “Alex is in a really good place because Sweden qualified for the World Cup yesterday evening and apart from that he’s going to train with the group again for the first time tomorrow,” said Slot.
“Of course, it’s only his first session, after three or four months, with the team but it’s good to have him back because we all know who we signed and we’ve signed an incredible striker.
“So to have him again in a team that’s usually generating quite a lot of chances – and maybe not immediately from the first moment that he can start – but to have him back for the last two months is, I think, very helpful for us.”
