Egyptian Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named on the bench for the match against Brighton at Anfield today, despite a reconciliation meeting with his Dutch manager Arne Slot. The manager confirmed that he has the final say on the Egyptian international's return, after he was excluded from the team's trip to Italy for the Champions League win over Inter 1-0, following controversial comments he made about the club. Reports yesterday suggested that Slot's decision was made in the team's best interests. Salah accused the English club of abandoning him after he was dropped from the starting lineup for the third consecutive match in the 3-3 draw against Leeds. He also told reporters after the match at Elland Road that he has no relationship with Slot. Liverpool needed a late penalty to win against Inter, while Salah (33) posted a picture on social media of him training alone in the gym at the club's training ground. Salah, who signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool in April, is expected to join the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations after the Brighton match. The length of his absence depends on Egypt's progress in the tournament in Morocco, where the final is on January 18. Salah is third on Liverpool's all-time top scorers list with 250 goals in 420 games, leading them to two league titles and a Champions League trophy. Salah scored 29 Premier League goals last season when Liverpool won their 20th title, but has only scored four goals in 13 games this season. Liverpool are 10th in the league this season with 23 points after a run of poor results, winning just two of their last 10 Premier League games. Salah's name has also been linked with a move to the Saudi league.
