ARNE SLOT gave a tetchy response when asked about Mo Salah’s comments regarding the “standards” at Liverpool.
The Reds have endured a difficult title defence and enter the weekend in fourth with three matches remaining.
Arne Slot has come under pressure at Liverpool Credit: Getty
Slot, 47, has faced difficult managing Mo Salah’s decline this season Credit: PA
, who has already confirmed that he will , suggested that his departure could have a big impact on the dressing room.
The Egyptian, 33, hinted that there may no longer be an “example” for the Reds’ younger players when it comes to putting in time in the gym around training.
, 47, has come under intense scrutiny this season despite having led to the title during his first year in charge.
The Dutchman dropped star man Salah earlier this season, with the winger that the club had “thrown him under the bus”.
Following last Sunday’s , veteran skipper also claimed that Liverpool had a “lot of work to do behind the scenes” in order to return to the top.
When asked about Salah and Van Dijk’s comments ahead of his side’s clash with , Slot said: “The first question — does Virgil mean the same as what Mo is saying?
“And what Mo is saying is that standards are really important for a football club. I cannot agree more with him.
“I did not hear him say that the standards are not OK now. Did you? If he goes all of a sudden [they will drop]… OK, as I just said… I’m not worried about it. At all.
“I’m not worried that the standards will be lower next season than they were this season, last season or the season before. No. I’m not worried. At all.”
When pressed on the subject, bullish Slot added: “So how will I answer that question then? As I said, I completely agree with him [Salah] how important these standards are.
“I think they [standards] are in a good place right now.
“I think it also makes sense that younger players — it doesn’t have to be the signings, it can be the seven-year-old that comes from the academy — they usually get the example of players like Mo, and others, for them to understand what it takes to play every three days at this level.
“I see and I think that our younger players have improved in this already. I am completely convinced that we have enough players next season — and, add to that, the ones that we will sign — to put the standards exactly into the place they are needed.
“The standards are not only important in the gym…
“It’s also on the pitch. OK.”
Salah starred during Slot’s first campaign at Anfield, scoring 29 Premier League goals and adding a further 18 assists.
This irresistible form led to Liverpool in April 2025.
Salah’s output has vastly deteriorated this season, the superstar having scoring just seven goals in 25 Prem appearances thus far.
The two-time Prem champion suffered a hamstring issue against last month and was forced to watch last weekend’s Old Trafford clash from the stands.
Slot confirmed that Salah is nearing a return, as Liverpool aim to secure Champions League qualification by beating Chelsea this afternoon.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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