Revealed: Mohamed Salah spat with Jurgen Klopp sparked after Liverpool star failed to adhere to manager's substitute 'interaction' rule

Questions have been asked as to how harmonious the Anfield camp is after seeing superstar forward Salah become caught up in a fiery exchange with his manager during the Premier League game at West Ham on Saturday. The Reds’ talismanic winger was introduced as a 79th-minute substitute in that fixture – immediately after Michail Antonio grabbed an equaliser for the hosts in a 2-2 draw.

Tension between Salah and Klopp carried over to the final whistle, as Liverpool’s leading goal-scorer headed down the tunnel without shaking hands with his boss, and it is that lack of interaction that is said to have started the argument. The Sun credits a source as saying: “This has happened occasionally with Jurgen and other players. He is very big on interaction with his subs before they go on and felt it didn't happen at first with Mo. Mo was obviously annoyed at being left out of the team and wasn't in the best of moods while Jurgen wasn't happy with his behaviour. The players were given a couple of days off after the match and are meeting up again on Tuesday. It is hoped that by then tensions will have calmed down.”

Klopp attempted to brush the issue under the carpet afterwards, telling reporters after the match: “We spoke about it in the dressing room, but it’s done for me. That’s it.” Salah, though, said there would be “fire today if I speak” as the rumour mill continued to turn.

There has been talk of Salah leaving Liverpool in the summer, amid reports of interest from Saudi Arabia, while Klopp has revealed that he will be stepping down at the end of the season. The Reds are in danger of failing to add to their trophy collection before then, with a draw at West Ham leaving them third in the Premier League table – five points behind Arsenal with three games left to take in.