Liverpool may have enjoyed a thumping win over rivals Manchester United on Sunday, but the post-match discussion quickly turned to the future of Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian was instrumental in the 3-0 win at Old Trafford, assisting both of Luis Diaz’s first-half goals before finding the back of the net himself after the break. That made it three goals in his opening three Premier League games this season after entering the final year of his current Liverpool contract.
The 32-year-old’s future was the subject of speculation during the transfer window, amid long-standing interest from the Saudi Pro League, but the player himself used a post-match interview to put the ball firmly in the club’s court.
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“To be fair I was coming to the game [as if] it could be the last time [playing at Old Trafford],” Salah told Sky Sports following the victory. “Nobody in the club has talked to me about contracts. It is not up to me, it is up to the club.
“As you know, it’s my last year in the club. I just want to enjoy it, I don’t want to think about it. I feel I’m free to play football and let’s see what’s going to happen next year.”
New Reds boss Arne Slot, who has enjoyed three wins out of three to begin his tenure with the club, was then asked about Salah’s comments when he faced the media after the win at Old Trafford.
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Mohamed Salah is in the final year of his Liverpool contract (Image credit: Getty Images)
“A lot of ifs but at this moment he is one of ours and I am really happy with him being one of ours and he played really well. I don’t talk about contracts,” the Dutchman said.
“He was impressive, like [in] the first two games but if you talk about an individual you don’t do justice to the other ones. All the attention goes to Mo and Lucho [Díaz] but that doesn’t do justice to the other nine and the ones who came in.”
Salah signed a three-year contract extension worth £350,000-per-week as per Capology, in the summer of 2022 and is now in his eighth season with Liverpool, having netted 214 goals in 352 appearances for the club.
Liverpool reportedly rejected a bid of £150million for Salah from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad last summer. In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Salah clearly has plenty more to offer Liverpool, so after missing out on a payday last summer, the wise move would be to extend the forward’s contract by a year or two, as seeing a player who is still capable of the kind of performance we saw against Manchester United go for free would be galling for Reds fans.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
