Mohamed Salah rejoined his Liverpool teammates for training on Tuesday, marking his highly anticipated return following the Africa Cup of Nations. His comeback coincides with the squad’s final preparations for their upcoming Champions League fixture against Marseille.
The Egyptian star participated in a light training session at the club’s facility to ease back into the team’s rhythm. However, his return is clouded by controversy following a blunt interview he gave last month. In those remarks, Salah criticized the club for allegedly “throwing him under the bus” after he was left out of the starting lineup for three consecutive matches. He further claimed that he currently has no working relationship with manager Arne Slot.
Despite the prior tension, Salah returned to the squad as a substitute during a 2-0 victory over Brighton on December 13, where he made an immediate impact by providing an assist. Following that match, Slot indicated that the club had moved past the controversy.
Just last week, the manager expressed his enthusiasm for Salah’s return from international duty. However, Slot chose to keep the details of their private phone conversations confidential, declining to reveal what was discussed with the 33-year-old forward.
Liverpool currently occupies ninth place in the Champions League table. Under the competition’s format, only the top eight teams secure a direct spot in the round of 16, meaning those finishing between ninth and 24th must navigate a two-legged play-off to advance.
While Salah was instrumental in Liverpool’s 20th league title win last season—netting 29 goals to claim the Premier League Golden Boot—his form has cooled significantly this term. So far, the forward has managed to find the back of the net only four times during the current campaign.
