If I had 15 attackers I'd be happy to have Salah back

Mohamed Salah is set to return to Liverpool next week, with manager Arne Slot insisting he would be delighted to have the forward back “even if I had 15 attackers” in his squad. The 33-year-old has been away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations for the past month and will head back to Merseyside after Saturday’s third-place play-off against Nigeria.

Salah’s comeback follows a turbulent spell off the pitch. Shortly before joining up with his national team, he gave a fiery interview claiming “someone doesn’t want me in the club” and saying he no longer had a relationship with Slot. He was then left out of the squad for Liverpool’s 1-0 win away to Inter Milan, but returned to action from the bench four days later, providing an assist against Brighton.

Slot initially admitted he had “no clue” whether Salah had already played his final game for the club, despite the forward’s extraordinary record of 250 goals in 421 appearances. Now, however, the Dutchman is focused on reintegration rather than separation. “First of all, he needs to play another big game for Egypt on Saturday and then he comes back to us,” Slot said, stressing how important Salah has been “for this club” and “for me” and underlining that he would welcome him back under any circumstances.

Liverpool have handled Salah’s absence impressively, going unbeaten in six games since he left for Afcon, winning three of them. They host Burnley at Anfield on Saturday and then travel to Marseille for a Champions League tie on Wednesday, but there is still no final decision on when Salah will be thrown back into the starting XI. The coaching staff are weighing up whether he will feature in France or be held back until the league trip to Bournemouth on 24 January, with ongoing discussions between club and player about expectations on both sides.

Salah’s return is all the more significant given Liverpool’s injury situation in attack. Record signing Alexander Isak is sidelined for several months after surgery on a fractured left leg, leaving Slot short of established forwards. Beyond long-term absentees Isak, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni, there are no fresh injury concerns, but the manager is clearly keen to restore as much top-level firepower as possible for the second half of the campaign.

Asked about his private conversations with Salah after last month’s public fallout, Slot declined to go into detail. He stressed that what is discussed between the two of them, whether over the phone or in person, will remain private and that he sees no need to share those exchanges publicly. The tone, though, suggests that both sides are attempting to move on from the controversy and focus on the run-in.

The situation around Salah runs parallel to another evolving story involving a Liverpool stalwart. Vice-captain Andy Robertson has had to adjust to a reduced role and admitted this week that a decision has yet to be made on his future beyond the summer, when his contract expires. Slot praised the left-back’s honesty and leadership, saying that “the way he speaks is a big compliment”, highlighting the professionalism with which Robertson is handling his changing status.

Taken together, the narratives of Salah and Robertson illustrate a wider theme at Liverpool: two modern club legends learning to adapt as their automatic place in the starting XI can no longer be taken for granted. Both are assured of their place in the club’s history for their contributions to recent success, but the coming months will help determine what the final chapters of their Anfield careers look like.