Arne Slot hoping Mohamed Salah can still burnish Liverpool legacy

LIVERPOOL – Arne Slot is hoping Mohamed Salah’s farewell can inspire a strong end to Liverpool’s season as he declared the Egyptian a living “legend” at the club.

Salah announced on March 24 he will leave the English champions at the end of the season after nine years and 255 goals to date.

The 33-year-old had a public spat with Slot in December, declaring he had “no relationship” with the Dutchman after being dropped for three consecutive games.

But since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Salah has returned to being a regular starter in a difficult campaign for Liverpool.

Slot’s men sit fifth in the English Premier League and are in a battle just to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

But the former Feyenoord boss is hopeful of still ending the season on a high in the FA Cup and Champions League.

Liverpool travel to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4 before facing holders Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight of Europe’s top competition on April 8 and 14.

“Hopefully, he can make his legacy even more special in the upcoming weeks and months where we still play for something special, but he will always leave this club as a legend,” Slot told Liverpool’s website.

“To show that hunger every three days, that professionalism, that commitment to the club, to the team, wanting to score again, always wanting to play... that is what stands out for me.”

Slot’s forward options have been hampered by the absence of Alexander Isak for much of his time at the club since arriving for a British transfer record fee of £125 million (S$212.5 million) in September.

The Swedish striker is set to return to training after suffering a broken leg just over three months ago and has been buoyed by seeing his country qualify for the World Cup this week.

“I think Alex is in a really good place because Sweden qualified for the World Cup yesterday evening and apart from that, he’s going to train with the group again for the first time tomorrow,” added Slot on April 1.

“Of course, it’s only his first session, after three or four months, with the team but it’s good to have him back because we all know who we signed and we’ve signed an incredible striker.

“So to have him again in a team that’s usually generating quite a lot chances – and maybe not immediately from the first moment that he can start – but to have him back for the last two months is, I think, very helpful for us.”

Meanwhile, midfielder Phil Foden is not guaranteed a place in England’s 2026 World Cup squad, manager Thomas Tuchel said.

The 25-year-old has 49 senior caps but is out of form and has started only four of City’s last 15 games. He last scored in the Premier League on Dec 14.

“Well, it’s not a guarantee that he will come,” Tuchel said, after Foden was substituted in the second half of England’s 1-0 defeat by Japan at Wembley on March 31.

“Obviously, he didn’t have a lot of minutes for City recently, then he came to camp with the brightest smile and was so good in training,” added the German.

“And I thought he will just surprise us and will play with the same verve and excitement but, yeah, he struggles to have the full impact.”

With striker and captain Harry Kane sidelined by injury, the Premier League Player of the Year in 2024 was handed a central role at Wembley but looked unconvincing as a false No. 9 and registered the fewest touches of any England starter.

“If we put offensive players on the pitch, we demand offensive actions, creativity, dribbling, shots and assists and we clearly didn’t have enough,” said Tuchel of his side’s performance.

The manager has to submit his squad for the June 11-July 19 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico by the end of May. AFP, REUTERS