<strong>Mohamed Salah</strong> Praised as a Top Professional After Omission from Starting XI - Slot

Reds head coach Arne Slot lauded forward Mohamed Salah for his exemplary conduct in the wake of being dropped to the bench.

The move was made amid a poor run of nine losses in twelve outings across all competitions.

This was the first time Salah had been dropped in the league since April 2024, under Slot's preceding manager, Jurgen Klopp.

The Egypt international, last campaign's top scorer, has scored a mere four times in the domestic league this season.

Slot admitted it was a "reasonable conclusion" that Salah was unhappy about being an unused substitute at the West Ham ground.

"This is a normal reaction from a player with his quality to play for us, and I say that mildly because he has been exceptionally brilliant for this club for numerous seasons and will be for the future," commented Slot.

"He wasn't alone who was disappointed that he was on the bench and which is standard."

Slot noted that Salah "handled himself really well" despite being dropped.

"He is so disciplined - he knows exactly how to stay fit," Slot continued.

"Irrespective of he has a good game or a bad one, if he plays or doesn't play, he will forever be that model professional and that's exactly how he acted in the recent period.

"For every footballer around the world, there are also phases in your time at a club which are human. He's scored so many goals for us and I am certain he will in the future."

National Team Call Looms

Slot announced that Liverpool will be missing their star forward from the middle of December, when he leaves for the Africa Cup of Nations.

"We must figure out how to play without him because he will be absent," Slot concluded.

Presently, the reigning title holders sit outside the European places, nine points behind leaders Arsenal.

They face Sunderland on Wednesday prior to Saturday's trip to Leeds, a side presently occupying a spot in the bottom three.

Breakdown: Missing Games

Based on the confirmed dates, Salah's last Liverpool game is likely to be the 13 December match versus Brighton.

If the Pharaohs go all the way, then Salah may be absent until 19 January as the soonest possible date.

That outcome would result in him sitting out a potential seven fixtures, among them a key match against Arsenal on the road on early January.

The manager, however, did not confirm whether he would bench the Egyptian over the coming weeks, he conceded the player was unhappy after the West Ham decision.