Mohamed Salah has been left out of Liverpool’s squad for the Champions League match against Inter Milan. The club made this decision after his explosive interview, where he said he felt “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and claimed his relationship with Arne Slot had broken down.
Sources told BBC Sport that both the club and Slot agreed it was best for Salah to take a short break from selection because of the timing and nature of his comments. Even though he has been removed from the squad, Liverpool will not punish him formally, and he has not been fined.
The 33-year-old is expected to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations next Monday and will also likely miss Liverpool’s Brighton match on Saturday. Liverpool named a 19-man squad for the trip to Milan without Salah.
Salah’s interview came after he was an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw at Leeds United, which was the third game in a row where the Egypt international started on the bench. Before that, he came off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland, and he stayed on the bench in the 2-0 win at West Ham.
His last start was in the 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven, and his last goal came in the 2-0 win at Aston Villa on 1 November.
So far this season, Salah has scored five goals in 18 appearances across the Premier League and the Champions League. Overall, he has 250 goals in 420 Liverpool games, and his 29 Premier League goals last season helped Liverpool win the league title.
Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017 and signed a new two-year contract in April 2025.
Wayne Rooney has publicly said that Salah is “destroying his legacy” at Liverpool and argued that Slot should not select him against Inter Milan or Brighton.
Despite being left out, Salah trained with his teammates on Monday morning, showing there could still be a way back for him at Liverpool. The decision to exclude him was made with Slot’s backing to show leadership, but the club did not suspend or fine him, which suggests his future at Liverpool is still open.
Salah’s comments hinted he might leave in January, but BBC Sport reports he is not actively trying to leave, and Liverpool are not planning to release him for AFCON earlier than December 15.
He previously said when signing his new deal: “I’ve played eight years here—hopefully it will be 10. I’m enjoying my life and my football here.”
Missing the Inter game will hurt him, but there is still a chance for Salah to repair things with Liverpool and Slot—something many fans and journalists will be watching closely when Slot speaks at his press conference.
