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MILAN — Arne Slot has not spoken to Mohamed Salah since the Liverpool star's stinging public criticism of the club, apart from telling him he was out of the squad for the Champions League game against Inter Milan
Salah was omitted from the 19-player squad that traveled to Italy for Tuesday's match, despite seeming to be in good spirits at training earlier.
"We let him know that he's not traveling with us. So that was the only communication that's been there from us to him," Liverpool coach Slot said as he was inundated by questions about Salah in his pre-match press conference on Monday.
Slot added that the Egypt forward's reaction was "a short one."
Salah lashed out Saturday after he was benched for the third game in a row, saying it "seems like the club has thrown me under the bus", and he doesn't have "any relationship" with Slot.
The Dutchman Slot said Monday: "That's not the way I feel, but he has the right to feel how he feels things. I haven't felt that at all until Saturday evening, for sure, because I think when I didn't play him anymore, usually players don't like the manager then that much, but he was very respectful to my staff members, to his teammates, and he trained really hard.
"So to an extent it was a surprise for me that when I heard after the game he gave the comments he gave. But it's not the first and not the last time that when a player doesn't play — I'm not sure if he was emotional or not — he says something similar to what he did. But I think my reaction to that is also clear and that's that he's not here with us tonight."
Salah has won two Premier League titles and the Champions League during a trophy-laden eight years at Anfield. He signed a two-year contract extension in April just before he received his second Premier League player of the season award.
He is due to go to the Africa Cup of Nations this month with Egypt before the transfer window opens in January.
Slot said the outburst doesn't necessarily signal the end of Salah's time at the club.
"I'm a firm believer that there's always a possibility to return for a player," he said. "I can leave it with that I think."
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