Mohamed Salah losing support as another Liverpool icon sends message to Arne Slot

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has struggled to find his best form this season – leading to calls for him to be benched by the Premier League champions.

Jamie Carragher has reinforced his belief that Arne Slot should drop Mohamed Salah from his starting line-up. The Egypt star has failed to reach the sky-high standards he set last campaign.

Liverpool are desperate to end a woeful run of four consecutive defeats when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. And after Sunday’s loss to Manchester United, Carragher made his position crystal clear regarding the dilemma facing Slot over Salah.

“I think we’re at that stage now where Mo Salah shouldn’t be a guaranteed starter every week,” he told The Gary Neville Podcast. “I do think this is a real conundrum for the manager going forward.”

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Later, speaking in the Sky Sports studio, he added: “I don’t think Salah should be like a Virgil van Dijk where it’s like; ‘first name on the team-sheet’.” The Anfield icon has now reinforced that position, telling CBS Sports: “Listen, Mo Salah is not playing well, he’s a legendary figure, and one of the greatest players to ever play in the Premier League, I would say.

“But he’s at the stage now where I don’t think it should be an absolute guarantee that he starts every game. And especially away from home, more away from home.

“I’m thinking about these next two games, Frankfurt on Wednesday night and then Brentford on Saturday night. I think at his age as well, the way he’s playing, I don’t think he justifies right now playing every game.”

Arsenal legend and fellow pundit, Thierry Henry, then chimed in: “It’s not always easy when you’re the main guy because obviously – as you can see – when he doesn’t score, also the team loses. But some people can show up sometimes, it doesn’t always have to be him.

“It wasn’t always him, but more often than not, Mo Salah scores, you win, he doesn’t, you look at the results. You hit the post three times this weekend – it could have been better. It’s definitely not an easy one, I won’t complain, though.”

Carragher isn’t the only ex-Liverpool player suggesting Salah should warm the bench for a bit. Former striker Emile Heskey concurs, arguing that the forward needs a breather.

“I think Mohamed Salah needs a period on the Liverpool bench in order to recharge,” he told BetBrain.

“He’s played so much football over the last few years – it’s relentless to play at an elite level week-in, week-out. It’s also mentally draining when you’re the dangerman that everybody is looking at to make something happen or be a difference-maker in a game.

“At the moment, there are games where I forget that he’s playing – which shouldn’t be the case. A player of Salah’s stature should be integral to the team and be involved as much as possible.

“I also think Arne Slot need to change the current system. In order for him to do that, Salah needs to come out of the starting XI. If Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are to play together up front, then Mo needs to sit out, because his strength lies in starting high up and wide on the pitch – that’s not what you need if you’re already playing two strikers.”

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