Former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman says “it was not great to see” Mohamed Salah speak out the way he did following Sunday’s win at Southampton, and feels it could be because preliminary talks around a new contract have not gone as planned.
Salah sought out journalists at St Mary’s to outline his disappointment that Liverpool had not yet offered him fresh terms with his current deal expiring at the end of the season.
It threatens to overshadow a crucial week for Liverpool with Real Madrid the visitors to Anfield in the Champions League tomorrow night before a Premier League clash with Manchester City at the weekend.
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McManaman surprised by Salah outburst
“It was a big surprise that Mo Salah came out and said what he said, but I think he just wants to put himself in a position of power,” McManaman told TNT Sports.
“I know Liverpool have been speaking to his agent about everything, but of course he mustn’t be happy about how those conversations have gone, and he wants to put a little bit of pressure on Liverpool.
“When you get offered new contracts at his age – he’s 32 – a lot of it depends on the length of the contract. How long does Mo want? How long are Liverpool willing to offer? Does he want three, four years? Do Liverpool only want to give him two?
“I don’t necessarily think the money should be a factor; he’s been very well paid for the last three years. But there must be a number of things that he’s not particularly happy with.”
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Not great, says McManaman
Jamie Carragher branded Salah “selfish” for speaking out on the eve of the Madrid game and his former Liverpool team-mate McManaman also felt the timing was not ideal.
He added: “It’s not great to see if you’re a Liverpool fan, it puts a bit of pressure on the people who are making decisions because he’s playing so, so well at the moment.
“It’ll be interesting on Wednesday to see how the fans react to it all. Hopefully him [and] Liverpool can sit down and sort the minutiae of the deal and get it done.
“Myself, like most Liverpool fans, think he’s playing as good as ever, and he looks as fit as ever. He seems to play all the time, seems to handle the games very well, which is hard in this day and age, and he doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down numbers wise.
“Let’s see if they can all get it done, get it sorted out, and we’ll see Mo Salah in a Liverpool shirt next year.”
