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Liverpool coach Arne Slot said he was delighted to have Mohamed Salah returning from Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty soon, despite an apparent falling-out just weeks ago.
In a fiery outburst after a 3-3 draw at Leeds United, the Egyptian forward accused the club of throwing him “under the bus” and said his relationship with Slot had broken down.
The 33-year-old, who will be involved in Egypt’s third-place match against Nigeria on Saturday, had been left on the bench for three matches and has not started for Liverpool since November.
“First-off, he has to play another big game for Egypt on Saturday,” Slot told reporters ahead of Saturday’s home game against Burnley.
“I’m happy he’s coming back. If I had 15 attackers, I would still be happy to have him back.”
The Dutch coach said an 11-game unbeaten run across all competitions had boosted Liverpool’s season. But five Premier League draws in that run have left the champions fourth, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal.
“Ideally it’s not 11 games unbeaten, it’s 11 wins in a row. That is what we aim for,” Slot said.
“From where we were when we conceded four goals against PSV Eindhoven to now – a much better place, but there’s still enough room for improvement.”
Slot acknowledged the pressure to secure UEFA Champions League qualification, having led the table early on.
“We haven’t put ourselves in the most ideal position, especially when you compare to where we were after six games,” he concluded.