Salah will be welcomed back at Liverpool after AFCON, says Slot

Unsettled forward Mohamed Salah is set to return to Liverpool on Sunday, once his AFCON duty with Egypt comes to an end.Published On 16 Jan 2026Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he would welcome Mohamed Salah back at the Premier League champions even if he had 15 attackers, as the Egypt forward nears a return from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).Salah is set to play in Egypt’s third-place playoff match against Nigeria in Morocco on Saturday, after the Pharaohs lost their AFCON semifinal against Senegal.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Olympic hopes double as act of defiance in war-ravaged Ukrainelist 2 of 4Yin-yang of tennis: ‘Sincaraz’ rivalry back in focus before Australian Openlist 3 of 4Feuds, boycotts, sacking: What’s the Bangladesh cricket crisis all about?list 4 of 4Fifteen former NCAA players charged in US-China basketball rigging caseend of listHis impending return has been a major talking point after he took aim at the club in an explosive interview in early December.Salah accused Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” after he was benched for three games in a row, and said he had no relationship with manager Slot.The 33-year-old was then dropped for the Reds’ Champions League game at Inter Milan, while interest grew in the Saudi Pro League about signing the unsettled star.But he appeared as a substitute in a 2-0 Premier League win against Brighton on December 13, providing an assist, and Slot subsequently said the club had moved on from the furore.Slot, whose fourth-placed team host struggling Burnley on Saturday, was asked at his pre-match news conference about Salah’s return on Sunday.“First of all, he needs to play another big game for Egypt on Saturday,” said the Dutchman.“And then he comes back to us, and I’m happy that he comes back. Mo has been so important for this club, for me, so I’m happy that he’s back.“Because even if I had 15 attackers, I still would have been happy if he would have come back, but that’s not our current situation. So I’m happy to have him back after an important game that he still has to play.”