Liverpool 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion: Mohamed Salah update as Arne Slot gives "answer" to "all questions" on AFCON plans

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has claimed that he expects Mohamed Salah back at the club after he leaves to play for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Reds emerged as 2-0 winners against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, with Salah coming on as a substitute for Joe Gomez in the 26th minute due to the defender's injury.

Slot has not started the Egyptian in any of the club's last five games, and with the pair having fallen out, there are fears that the forward may have played his last game at Anfield.

Salah will depart with his national team to play at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, and with the January transfer window around the corner, links to the Saudi Pro League have ramped up.

When asked by beIN SPORTS about whether fans have seen the last of the winger, Slot insisted he expects the forward back after AFCON, saying: "I think actions speak louder than what I can say about it. He was here, so that tells you how the conversation yesterday went.

"He was the first substitution I made, so I think that already gives an answer to all the questions you have.

"He goes to the AFCON and we have a lot of games to play. He's a Liverpool player, so I expect him to be back afterwards, yes."

The tournament is set to end on January 18, and the 33-year-old could miss up to seven matches for the Reds even if he was to remain a Liverpool player.

How Salah showed Slot needs him in Brighton Premier League win

With the team having extended their unbeaten streak to five games, optimism amongst supporters has started to return, with the club having kept three clean sheets in that time.

Many attributed Liverpool's recent uptick at the back due to Salah's absence, but their 2-0 win against Brighton proved that the team are capable of defending with the winger in the XI.

Not only did the forward contribute without the ball, he also created the most chances (five) of any player on the pitch, picking up an assist for Hugo Ekitike's second.

The veteran winger has struggled at times this campaign, but it is not a coincidence that Liverpool's attack looked far more threatening with him on the pitch than they have in recent weeks.

Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike: How Liverpool could line up without Salah

Alexander Isak picked up a knock prior to his side's win against Brighton and was only able to come on as a second-half substitute.

Liverpool will be delighted that fellow striker Ekitike managed to excel on Saturday, scoring both of the team's goals, and he will be needed when Salah departs.

Perhaps Isak and Ekitike could be deployed in a two-striker system, while Florian Wirtz could then be stationed in an attacking role behind the duo.

Such a system would place significant demands on the team's full-backs to provide width, but the likes of Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong are arguably suited to playing in such a system.