Arne Slott has confirmed that Mohamed Salah will travel to the Africa Cup of Nations on or before December 15, although the Liverpool striker will remain available for the club’s Premier League clash against Brighton on Saturday, December 13.
With Salah set to represent Egypt at the tournament, Slott admitted Liverpool must now start preparing for a significant period without one of their most prominent players.
“It (the deadline) is December 15. As always, there’s a nation involved, a player and a club involved. It’s always about what’s best for the three of us,” Slott said.
“We have to find a way to play without him because he won’t be here. That’s the truth.”
Salah started on the bench for Liverpool against West Ham
Before his departure, Salah is expected to remain involved in Liverpool’s domestic campaign, with the Reds taking on Sunderland on Wednesday night, live on Ski Sports.
Slott also reflected on Salah’s reaction after the striker was named on the bench for Liverpool’s contest against West Ham on Sunday – a rare decision for a player of his stature.
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Liverpool manager Arne Slott has praised Mo Salah’s professionalism after being benched for their clash against West Ham.
“It was a normal reaction for a player who is good enough to play for us – and I say that mildly because he has been so outstanding for this club and will be in the future,” Slott said. “He wasn’t happy he didn’t start, but he wasn’t the only one.”
Despite that disappointment, Slott praised the way Salah handled the team.
“But the way he behaved was what you would expect from such a professional: he supported his team-mates and behaved really well,” he added.
Slott also highlighted Salah’s discipline and mentality regardless of selection.
“You can’t be a player who has to play every three days to a high standard, but he is so disciplined and knows what he needs to do to stay fit. Whether he plays well, not well, plays or doesn’t play, he will always be a top professional.”
Slot: Question marks over the fitness of Wirz, Gomez and Isaac
Slott said Liverpool’s squad news for the clash with Sunderland will depend on how several players get through training, with Florian Wirtz, Joe Gomez and Alexander Isak all assessed ahead of the game after recent fitness concerns.
“Let’s see how the players feel after practice today. Wirtz missed almost two weeks of practice, so it’s good for him to play minutes, but let’s see. Joe Gomez too,” he said.
“It was encouraging to see Wirtz play so well. Maybe it’s the first time for other people, but I’ve already seen him play very well for us. It was great for Alex[Isaac]to score his first goal, but he couldn’t play more minutes because he was telling me he was feeling crampy. So it’s another player to see how he does today when he trains.
Arne Slott talks to Alexander Isak
“They can’t play three full 90 minutes in a week, but all three can be involved if they don’t get injured.”