Liverpool manager Arne Slot has acknowledged the team has felt the absence of Mohamed Salah in recent weeks.
Salah returned to the fold during Liverpool’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Olympique Marseille in midweek, playing the full 90 minutes after a lengthy spell away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Egyptian forward had been away since December 13, scoring four goals in six appearances as the Pharaohs secured a fourth-place finish.
His absence followed a turbulent period at Anfield, where he was sidelined for several matches and briefly looked to be on the brink of leaving the club.
Salah was dropped for three consecutive games in early December and later criticised Slot publicly.
The situation culminated in him being left out of the squad entirely for a Champions League win against Inter Milan.
However, after issuing an apology to his teammates and holding frank discussions with Slot, Salah has now been reintegrated into the squad, much to the coach’s relief.
“In the moments when I didn’t play him, I was trying something different,” Slot said after Wednesday’s win, which saw Salah play the full 90 minutes.
“We have missed goals from all our ball possession. If there’s one player in the history of Liverpool who can score goals, it’s Mo Salah.”
Slot also praised Salah’s professionalism, noting his quick return to match fitness after spending more than a month away with the national team.
“It says a lot about how big a professional he is that he can be away for more than a month with a different team and be fit enough to play 90 minutes for us after one day of training.
“He was so close to a goal. It would usually be a goal from him, but it didn’t harm us because we scored three.”
Salah is expected to start again when Liverpool travel to AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League this weekend.
