Salah omitted from Liverpool squad to face Inter Milan

Mohamed Salah has been left out of Liverpool’s squad for Tuesday’s Champions League game at Inter Milan following on from his public outburst at the weekend.

Salah declared in an interview after the 3-3 draw with Leeds that he had been “thrown under the bus”, had no relationship with Slot and that Saturday’s clash with Brighton could be his final game at Anfield.

The 33-year-old Egypt forward was angry at being named on the bench for a third successive match as Liverpool react to the early collapse of their Premier League title defence.

This morning Salah smiled and chatted to team-mates as he attended Liverpool’s first training session since the outspoken interview, where he was pictured listening to his manager as he addressed the squad ahead of a series of warm-up and passing drills.

Slot however has decided to omit the forward ahead of the Champions League tie at the San Siro.

The club insist, however, Salah’s omission is not for disciplinary reasons but is a selection issue.

Egypt host Zimbabwe in their African Cup of Nations opener on 22 December, meaning Salah will not be available after this weekend.

Wayne Rooney insists Salah is “destroying his legacy” by disrespecting his Liverpool team-mates through his incendiary comments at Elland Road on Saturday.

“Why? Why would you come out and say that?” the former Manchester United striker said on The Wayne Rooney Show.

“It’s disrespectful to his team-mates, to his manager and to the fans. It’s incredible that he came out with what he did.

“He’s absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool. His legacy he can have is massive. Some of the legends who have played for Liverpool and he is right up there with them.

“It would be sad for him to throw it all away and how he has gone about not playing and being on the bench, he has gone about it all wrong.

“Liverpool fans – I know a lot of them – they won’t accept those comments, no luck.

“To have the arrogance to say he doesn’t have to earn his place because he has already earned his place – you need to be at your best every week to try and stay in the team.

“If I was one of his team-mates, I wouldn’t be happy at all with what he said because this is where Liverpool need him most. If anything, he has thrown Liverpool under the bus with his words.”

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen said Salah should have not publicised his frustrations. While Owen said he sympathised with Salah, who has established himself as one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players since joining from Roma in 2017, he said he should not have laid bare his feelings in public.

“Oh Mo Salah I can imagine how you feel,” Owen posted on X: “You’ve carried this team for a long time and won everything there is to win. But this is a team game and you simply can’t publicly say what you’ve said.”