‘The outcome decides everything’ – Arne Slot to meet Mohamed Salah over Brighton involvement

Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he will meet Mohamed Salah on Friday to decide the forward’s involvement against Brighton on Saturday.

Slot indicated that the discussion will determine Salah’s availability as the club manages rising tension following the player’s recent comments.

Salah claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” after the draw at Leeds, where he insisted he had “earned his place.”

His remarks drew widespread attention and were followed by his omission from the squad that faced Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The forward, 33, has been an unused substitute in two of Liverpool’s past three league matches as Slot reshapes his team.

Slot confirmed that internal exchanges have been ongoing. “After the Sunderland game there were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me,” he said.

He added that Saturday’s decision hinges on Friday’s meeting, saying, “The outcome of that conversation determines how things will look.”

Liverpool host Brighton at Anfield at 15:00 GMT seeking to lift their league form after consecutive draws. Salah last featured in the 1-1 draw at Sunderland on 3 December and last started in the defeat at PSV Eindhoven on 26 November.

He has scored five goals in 18 matches across the Premier League and Champions League this season.

Salah is expected to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday and may be away until after the final on 18 January, depending on the team’s progression. Slot maintained that he sees no reason to want the forward to leave, saying, “I have no reasons not to want him to stay.”