Mohamed Salah: Liverpool trophy winner proven correct over 'talks' as Arne Slot theory emerges

A six-time Liverpool trophy winner has been proven correct after Reds boss Arne Slot reportedly recalled Mohamed Salah to the squad for Saturday's clash against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Egypt international was omitted from the travelling party to face Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, after launching a scathing verbal attack against the club following last weekend's 3-3 Premier League draw with Leeds United.

Salah expressed his view that the club were trying to force him out after he was benched for the third Premier League game running, but reports have claimed that he will be included in Slot's ranks for the visit of Brighton to Anfield.

The Dutchman confirmed on Friday morning that he would have a conversation with the 33-year-old, and while issues remain, those conversations have led to a positive outcome in terms of this weekend.

Prior to those talks taking place, Emile Heskey - speaking exclusively to Sports Mole - urged Salah and Slot to speak face-to-face and set aside their differences, although he was critical of the winger's decision to speak out

Asked if the relationship between player and manager can be repaired, Heskey replied: "It can be repaired, but Slot and Salah need to sit down and talk to one another. Salah has been a Liverpool legend and it would be very sad for this to end in a way where Mo leaves.

Emile Heskey criticises Mohamed Salah for public Liverpool criticism

"I hope they can repair it, as for the sake of the squad, club and the fans, you don’t want this saga dragging on. However, Mo’s post match comments were very strong and it seems he has his opinions that need to be addressed.

"Mo was very strong with his comments, but there is a way to do this and it’s behind closed doors, so I would have hoped if Mo had an issue, he would have dealt with it not in public."

Whether Salah is included in the first XI for Saturday's game is another matter, though, as Liverpool have gone unbeaten in their last four games with the former Chelsea, Roma and Fiorentina man out of the starting lineup.

Thanks to Salah's extraordinary attacking output since joining Liverpool, the 33-year-old is freed from defensive responsibility and tracking back, allowing him to conserve his energy and be on his toes for forays forward.

A Salah-less Liverpool unexpectedly shut out Inter Milan in Tuesday's 1-0 victory, where the relentless running machine Dominik Szoboszlai once again started on the right-hand side and scored the game winning penalty.

Sports Mole also spoke to Dean Saunders - a member of Liverpool's 1992 FA Cup-winning squad - about the Salah saga, and the Welshman theorised that the Reds' worrying defensive numbers were also part of Slot's reasoning for dropping the 250-goal winger.

"Only Mohamed Salah's wife and Arne Slot can tell him no"

"Mo is a Liverpool legend. What he has achieved for the club has been outstanding and with Mo there is only a couple of people that say no to him - that is his wife and football coach," Saunders added.

"He can fly anywhere, get anything he wants, but in this instance you can see he is frustrated. He should have privately spoken to the manager, that’s it, 100%. That is the right thing to do.

"For Slot, you can see Liverpool were conceding too many so sacrifices have had to be made. He could have sat Mo down as well and explained why he was making certain decisions, because at the end of the day Mo is a senior player and tell him that once we get confidence back in the team, Mo would be back in.

"With some of the comments, I couldn’t understand them, as surely you have to tell Mo why you aren’t playing. It can be repairable, but it has to be done very quickly and not continue to escalate."

Salah's long-term future remains uncertain as he prepares to enter the final 18 months of his contract, though, and his agent has apparently held talks with clubs in one of Europe's Big Five leagues to gauge interest in a possible January move.

Emile Heskey was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of William Hill.

Dean Saunders was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of William Hill.