Arne Slot has expressed confidence that Mohamed Salah will return from injury before the end of the season, insisting the Liverpool forward deserves a memorable farewell as he prepares to leave Liverpool FC.
Salah, who is set to depart Anfield at the conclusion of the current campaign, was substituted during last weekend’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace after picking up an injury.
His emotional reaction as he applauded supporters while leaving the pitch led to speculation that it could have been his final appearance for the club.
However, Liverpool later confirmed that the 33-year-old had sustained only a minor muscle injury, easing fears about his availability for the remainder of the season.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s fixture against Manchester United, Slot provided a positive update on Salah’s condition.
“We expect him to be back in the final part of the season, but not for Sunday,” he said, describing the winger as a quick healer.
“In all ways, it’s a big relief that his injury is minor, so that he’s able to play for us, that he’s able to play at the World Cup.
“And if there’s ever a player who deserves to get a big send-off, it’s definitely Mo.”
Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has established himself as one of the club’s greatest players, scoring 257 goals in 440 appearances. His tally places him behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt on the club’s all-time scoring chart.
Despite a brief disagreement with Slot earlier in the season, when Salah admitted he had “no relationship” with the manager after being left out of three consecutive matches, the forward quickly returned to the starting lineup and continued to play a key role.
Liverpool head into the final stretch of the campaign with four games remaining, starting with their visit to Manchester United. The team currently sits fourth in the Premier League standings, three points behind United and comfortably ahead of sixth-placed Brighton.
A top-five finish will secure qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League, a target Slot described as crucial.
“I wouldn’t say a step forward, but it’s the right step to make,” he said. “We know how important it is to qualify for the Champions League, for any club, but definitely for our club.”
The Dutch manager also responded to questions about criticism following Liverpool’s struggles this season after winning the league title in his debut campaign.
“That’s for you guys to judge, if I’ve been too harshly judged by many people,” he said.
“That’s not up to me. I’m judging my football players, if they play well, if they work hard enough, if they execute tactics well enough, and I’m not in this job to judge if I’m criticised too harshly or too much or too less.”
Slot also provided an update on goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who has been sidelined since March, confirming he is close to returning to training.
“He is very close, but of course, also we don’t want to take any risks, because that’s never what you do with a player and that’s also not what we do now,” he said.
