Cairo, Egypt – A number of former international football stars have highlighted the performance of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool player. This comes amid the team’s recent decline in results, following four consecutive defeats in various competitions.
Liverpool suffered another defeat on Monday, 2-1 against Manchester United, in the eighth round of the 2025-26 English Premier League season, at Anfield.
Following Liverpool’s defeat, criticism of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah poured in. This came from a number of former international football stars, who felt he should be excluded from the starting lineup in upcoming matches.
Former Aston Villa star: It’s time to drop Mohamed Salah from the starting lineup
Aston Villa striker and former England international Gabriel Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: “Mohamed Salah isn’t performing well. There’s no connection between him and Isaac at the moment. Whenever Salah tries to pass the ball to him, he doesn’t make any attacks.”
The former Aston Villa star explained that Ekitike was on the bench, noting that he was supposed to start. Gabriel added, “I think they have a problem here. It doesn’t look good for Liverpool at the moment.”
He stressed, “I think it’s time to remove Mohamed Salah from the starting lineup. He’s not performing well, he doesn’t offer much defensively. Yesterday, he kept cutting inside and trying to pass passes that didn’t go through.”
He pointed out that Manchester United left no space at the back, as Mohamed Salah attempted simple passes. This might work with an advanced defensive line. But he’s not performing as well as he did last season, so there’s no harm in keeping him out.
He concluded his statement by saying: “Whatever the case, we cannot continue to field a player who is not performing well.”
Gary Lineker: Slot made a bold decision and Mohamed Salah doesn’t like it
Former England star Gary Lineker praised Liverpool manager Arne Slot’s decision to substitute Mohamed Salah in the team’s last match against Manchester United.
“Slot’s decision was interesting,” Lineker told Metro. “The team was 2-1 down and needed a goal. We know Salah well; he can come in at any moment and make the difference. It’s true that he missed a chance and was very calm during the game, but the decision was eye-catching and almost paid off immediately. Frimpong ran on and crossed, and Gakpo should have scored, but I thought, ‘Salah won’t like that, that’s Salah’s nature.’”
Micah Richards: Mohamed Salah is not bigger than Liverpool
Meanwhile, former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards, speaking to the same newspaper, expressed his admiration for Sloat’s decision to substitute Mohamed Salah for the Manchester United match.
Richards said: “The coach has to do what’s right for the team. No player is bigger than the team, and Mohamed Salah is a team player.” He pointed out that at the moment, this isn’t the Mohamed Salah we saw in previous years. Normally, he would suddenly score, that chance he shoots with the outside of his boot. He usually shoots it into the far corner. I have no problem with the coach substituting Salah.
Liverpool’s tally remains at 15 points, in third place in the Premier League standings, one point behind second-place Manchester City and four points behind leaders Arsenal.
