England, London – Liverpool manager Arne Sloat has commented on his decision to leave Mohamed Salah out of the Champions League match against Inter Milan, and on the Egyptian star’s recent statements.
Liverpool are scheduled to visit Inter Milan in Italy on Tuesday, in the sixth round of the Champions League group stage.
“Mohamed Salah told us he would not be traveling with us. That was the only communication we had with him,” Slot said in a press conference before the Inter Milan match, as reported by the English network “Liverpool Echo”.
He added: “The relationship between us has broken down? I never felt that. He showed great respect for his teammates and the coaching staff. I was surprised by his statements, as I said, that’s not how I feel, but he has the right to feel what he feels. I certainly didn’t feel that way until Saturday evening.”
He continued: “Players usually don’t like the coach very much when they’re not playing. But he had great respect for the coaching staff and his teammates, and he trained hard. So it was a bit of a surprise to hear that he made those comments.”
Regarding the possibility of his participation in Brighton’s next Premier League match, he said: “We will look into that after tomorrow’s game.”
He added: “I firmly believe that every player will make a comeback. His reaction was brief when he learned that he would not be going to Italy today.”
Sloth: I’m usually quiet and polite, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak
Regarding his response to Mohamed Salah’s statement that he feels the club has abandoned him, and whether he understands what he means, he said: “I need to understand what he means by that. I’m usually calm and polite, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. When a player says things like that, we have to react as a club. And as you can see, he’s not here.”
He added: “He has every right to express how he feels. But if he has the right to share his feelings with the media, then we have to respond to them. Were we talking to him? Yes, we were, but that doesn’t mean we always agreed on things. I spoke to him twice in the two days before the Leeds game. I’ve said many times before that I didn’t speak to him at length after the Leeds game.”
