Liverpool manager Arne Slot has dismissed the frenzy surrounding Mohamed Salah’s bombshell contract comments on Sunday. And Andy Robertson has offered the view from the dressing room ahead of Wednesday’s blockbuster Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
After his second-half brace clinched a 3-2 comeback victory at Southampton, Salah stopped in the mixed zone for just the third time in his eight-year Liverpool career.
The 32-year-old winger would go on to conduct a bombshell interview at St Mary’s, admitting he was “disappointed” not to have been offered a new contract yet.
Salah also claimed that he was “probably more out than in,” suggesting that he could leave Anfield as a free agent next summer.
It marred a joyous occasion, which sent the Reds eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table amid a dream start to Slot’s reign.
But the Dutchman has made an effort to pour cold water on the fire before it gets out of control, insisting Salah remains focused on a promising season.
“We don’t share this over here, at least I don’t. The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out,” Slot explained on Tuesday.
“I don’t think he’s distracted at all. I haven’t seen that after the United game, where he made some comments [and] I haven’t seen it after a post you told me about; he just kept on scoring.
“I haven’t seen anything today, he is just fully focused on the game tomorrow.
“If you would have been at the AXA [training ground] today, I don’t think any player spoke about it, at least not when I was there.
“Players are focused on the short-term, and that is Madrid, and that is City. By the time Mo’s contract is extended, players don’t look at it that way. There is no distraction for him, the players and definitely not for me.”
Robertson, Salah’s long-time teammate, also weighed in on the incident, defending the Liverpool No. 11’s professionalism.
He said: “Honestly, for us as players, it’s nothing we can get involved in. All I can say is [when] you look at Mo today [and] yesterday, he is the ultimate professional.
“In fairness, that [also] goes for Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Virgil [van Dijk], who are in similar positions. Every one of them is focused on the next game. They have been leaders this season.
“For us in the training room, if they can do that, then we can do that. They are not being distracted by anything else.”