'He should be able to speak!' - Florian Wirtz reveals why he 'liked' Mohamed Salah Instagram post that aimed veiled dig at Liverpool boss Arne Slot

Wirtz was among a dozen members of the senior squad to publicly endorse Salah's explosive Instagram post criticising the team's current tactical direction. The Egyptian icon, whose relationship with Slot has seemingly broken down following a previous squad exclusion against Inter, demanded a return to the energetic style of former manager Jurgen Klopp. This digital show of solidarity has fuelled intense speculation regarding widespread dressing-room dissatisfaction under the current coaching regime.

Reflecting on the social media storm during a dinner with teammates, the £116 million midfielder insisted that the veteran attacker's public statements were blown entirely out of proportion by the media. Speaking toThe Athletic, Wirtz said: “We had a good time at the restaurant. With Mo leaving, it was nice to spend some time with him. Mo has known the club for a long time now. He’s just an honest guy.

"He says what he thinks. This should be OK. If you want to speak, you should be able to speak. Of course, it was a bit of a difficult season for all of us, including Mo. In my opinion, it got made bigger than it was. I don’t think he attacked anyone.”

Despite widespread media assumptions that the squad were actively siding with Salah against their Dutch head coach, Wirtz maintained that the interaction reflected professional respect rather than institutional mutiny.

Wirtz added: “No, nothing like that. I like Mo’s mentality in general - how he sees things, how he works. He’s a guy you can listen to, because he has seen a lot. He wasn’t attacking anyone. With the ‘likes’ players gave, I think it was made too big.

"For me, it was just a thing that he wanted to say because he’s leaving. He wanted to make everyone in the club alert that we have to work more and do better. We are all anything but happy with this season.

"I think we can still make a little bit out of it by qualifying for the Champions League on Sunday. We have to do that. Then in the summer, we need to clear our heads and attack next season, because we have a very good squad and we can do much better.”

Slot faces a massive tactical and diplomatic dilemma regarding whether to hand the departing forward a final farewell appearance against Brentford on Sunday. The Merseyside club require a single point from the emotional Anfield encounter to officially guarantee Champions League qualification for next term. Following a trophy-less and unstable campaign, securing this result is paramount before the squad uncouples for summer rest and a vital psychological reset.