Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed he would happily welcome Mohamed Salah back to the squad, even if the team had 15 ers, as the Egypt forward nears a return from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah is set to play in Egypt’s third-place play-off against Nigeria in Morocco on Saturday. His return has been closely watched following a tense period at Liverpool, where he criticized the club in December for benching him in three consecutive games and claimed he had no relationship with Slot.
Despite the controversy, Salah appeared as a substitute in Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton on December 13, providing an assist. Slot has since moved past the incident, emphasizing the player’s importance to the club.
“First of all, he needs to play another big game for Egypt on Saturday,” Slot said at a pre-match press conference. “And then he comes back to us, and I’m happy that he comes back. Mo has been so important for this club, for me, so I’m happy that he’s back. Because even if I had 15 ers I still would have been happy if he would have come back.”
Salah, who scored 29 Premier League goals to win the Golden Boot last season as Liverpool secured their 20th league title, has managed just four league goals so far this season. Slot indicated the forward is expected to rejoin the team next week following Egypt’s play-off match.
Liverpool will face Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday before a Premier League trip to Bournemouth next weekend. After a difficult start to the season, Slot has stead the team, which is now unbeaten in 11 matches across all competitions.
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