LONDON: Mohamed Salah headed for Morocco on Monday to captain Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations amid uncertainty over his future at Liverpool.

It is difficult to read the Salah situation after he reappeared as a first-half substitute and set up the second goal for Liverpool in a 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend.

Salah, 33, accused Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” after he was left on the bench for the 3-3 draw at Leeds — the third match in a row he had not started — and his furious hinted at a potential departure from the troubled Premier League champions during the transfer window.

He was omitted from Liverpool’s squad that travelled to Inter Milan in midweek, and it was a surprise to see him back in the fold against Brighton.

After the match, manager Arne Slot said there was “no issue to resolve” with his star forward but speculation continues to rumble over the Egyptian’s future. But there has been no apology from Salah, at least in public, and it seems unlikely that the saga is over, with the winger now heading to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said the situation had not been fully resolved.

“I think that short-term resolution was a surprise to everyone,” he said. “But it makes sense the more you think about it, because the club’s the most imp­ortant and now it’s going to stop for a while.”

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2025

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