The Liverpool head coach chose to reintroduce Salah into the starting line-up against Marseille as he and the player look to put those controversial comments at Leeds behind them.
Steven Gerrard praised Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot for setting aside their differences(Image: DeFodi Images, DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Steven Gerrard has claimed it is time for everyone at Liverpool to “move on” from the dramatic Mohamed Salah fallout last month, when the winger publicly criticized the club and head coach Arne Slot.
Salah claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club and that figures at Liverpool wanted to leave. Those remarks saw him dropped for the Champions League match against Inter Milan at the start of December, although he did feature a few days later against Brighton & Hove Albion before jetting off to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
He returned from the tournament this week and was immediately reintroduced to the starting line-up by Slot for the Champions League clash against Marseille. Gerrard commended that decision and feels he could add more cutting edge to Liverpool’s attacks in the coming weeks.
READ MORE: Federico Chiesa pulls out of Liverpool game as Arne Slot suffers fresh injury blowREAD MORE: Steven Gerrard shares what he thought when he first saw Florian Wirtz in person
“I think he will be disappointed not to go all the way at AFCON, knowing him, he’s a winner,” the ex-Liverpool skipper said on TNT Sports.
“I think the break for both parties, Liverpool and Salah, when they had their disagreement, came at a good time with AFCON, where they could both breathe and digest the fallout.
“With time, you would like to think it’s a fresh start for both. The manager has shown faith in him tonight by putting him straight into the line-up.
“I think that’s the right decision on the back of the weekend because they are looking for that killer instinct in the box.
Salah and Slot’s relationship is under the microscope(Image: 2026 Molly Darlington)
“This is a really important game and three points for Liverpool. They have got Qarabag next week, but to guarantee an automatic place [in the Champions League] they are going to need a result tonight.”
Asked whether he feels Salah and Slot have handled the aftershocks of that argument maturely, Gerrard replied: “I think you need to move on.
“These things happen; it’s a man’s game. Managers have to make big decisions. Players are emotional, every player wants to play every game, especially Mo Salah, what he delivered last year, he is such an iconic figure at the club.
“There is probably a part of Mo that feels he should be an automatic pick every game. You can understand that in Mo’s shoes, but the manager has to make tough decisions.
Mohamed Salah returned to Liverpool this week after his spell at AFCON(Image: )
“Mo wasn’t in good form, so he is well within his rights to put him on the bench or not play him, or not bring him on.
“These fallouts happen; I’ve experienced it before with other players and it’s important that you both move on from it as quick as you can because the most important thing is the team and the club.
“Liverpool need Mo Salah and they need him playing well, on fire, scoring goals because they are in a better place but need to stop getting these draws that are hijacking them getting to where they should be, which is push further up the Premier League and be higher up in this league as well.