Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to be involved in a tense training ground altercation ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. The two Liverpool players were caught on camera exchanging words, with Salah laughing and joking but Alexander-Arnold looking exasperated. The pair’s team-mates intervened to keep them apart.
Liverpool are in a good position ahead of their second-leg encounter against PSG, having snuck a 1-0 lead away from the Parc des Princes last week. A late Harvey Elliott goal did the damage on a night where Arne Slot’s men were indebted to the performance of goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
A draw tomorrow night (Tuesday) would be enough for Liverpool to progress into the quarter-finals, with the Reds having held an open training session in front of the world’s media ahead of the match. It was during this that Salah and Alexander-Arnold were spotted facing up to each other, with the latter looking annoyed by something his teammate had done or said.
The footage captured by BeanymanSports appears to show Alexander-Arnold engaging in a frank conversation with Salah, as he and a selection of other Liverpool players walk off the pitch. It comes to a head when Ibrahima Konate steps in front of Alexander-Arnold to take him away, with Elliott – the hero from last week’s first leg in Paris – wisely intervenes with Salah.
It’s unknown what the two were discussing, but from the footage captured by the cameras, it’s clear something wasn’t quite right. The disagreement likely stemmed from a competitive training exercise.
Slot will be hoping the two can kiss and make up ahead of the visit of PSG, as Liverpool still have work to do to ensure their progression into the last eight. But away from the pitch, it comes as both Salah and Alexander-Arnold, as well as Virgil van Dijk, enter the final few months of their Liverpool contracts.
It’s something Slot has fielded questions on ever since he arrived at Liverpool, with time now running out to seal deals for the trio. In the case of Alexander-Arnold, the right-back has been heavily linked with a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Commenting on the move, former Liverpool and Real Madrid ace Steve McManaman revealed he can understand why Alexander-Arnold would turn down a new contract at Anfield.
He told The Athletic: “If he feels as if he wants to experience a new lifestyle, new language, new culture, I’d have no qualms at all. It would be a huge miss for Liverpool but if he wants to do it, I’d completely respect him and be very proud because he’s a local lad who has done incredibly well, which is what I love more than anything.
“Real Madrid are a bigger, more professional, well-run machine now than when I joined. They have the new stadium, and some of the best players in the world. Of course Jude Bellingham is there, who is close to Trent. He’s won every trophy manageable with Liverpool.”