'Anonymous' Mohamed Salah has been in decline 'for three seasons' as Liverpool icon claims Arne Slot's side 'play with 10 men' when Egyptian forward isn't scoring

Salah scored for the first time in over a month last weekend as he struck a late consolation in Liverpool's 3-2 loss at Brentford. The goal was the 33-year-old's third of the season having already netted six times after nine matches in 2024/25. In addition, the 33-year-old has scored as many goals for Egypt as he has Liverpool in the Premier League this season.

The Egyptian didn't feature for the Reds in midweek as Liverpool crashed out of the EFL Cup at the hands of Crystal Palace as head coach Arne Slot named an inexperienced XI in an eventual 3-0 loss to the Eagles. The result means Liverpool have lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, with the exception in that run a 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

Salah didn't start the game in Germany, featuring instead off the bench late on, in what was arguably Liverpool's best performance of the campaign so far. And Heskey believes that the attacker, who turns 34 next June, is very much in decline.

And when asked whether Salah was out of form or in decline, Heskey told 10bet Casino: "I think it’s a bit of both. Yes he’s out of form, but there’s some decline that is inevitable as you get older, too. Anyone who is in their 30s, you start to see a bit of a decline. It won't be massive, because he’s such a professional, and he looks after himself very well. I think for me, this isn’t anything new. It’s not sudden, it’s been going on for two or three seasons.

"There have been games where he hasn’t done well for the most part, but he’s scored a goal and we overlook the rest of the performance. Whether it’s one or two goals, just a penalty, or a tap-in at the end of the game. We forget about the game because of the goal. Now, we’re in a position where for the most recent period, he hasn’t scored goals, and he hasn’t contributed. Now we point the finger at him, and it isn’t a new phenomenon.

"Mo, though, is interesting. He’s one of those players that you never want to take off, because he always is a threat regardless of his form. That’s the problem with him sometimes. It’s difficult for a manager, because you always want to leave Mo Salah on. He’s a goal threat, but if he doesn’t score, he can look anonymous, like you’re playing with 10 men."

Heskey added that the Reds' drop off needs to stop if they are to retain their Premier League crown. Defeat to Brentford last weekend means Liverpool have already lost as many league games this season as they did last, and the drop in form means the Merseyside outfit are now seven points behind league leaders Arsenal.

"No, they can’t afford to lose another game if they want to win the Premier League," Heskey replied when asked if Liverpool can afford to lose any more matches if they wish to defend the title.

"They can’t afford to drift further from the top of the league. It’s Arsenal’s league to lose now, I think. However, I think all the teams in the hunt will drop points at some point, here and there, but it won’t be massive, so Liverpool can’t slip up again."

Liverpool have a testing run of games coming up as they welcome Aston Villa to Anfield on Saturday night. Slot's side then host Real Madrid in the Champions League next week before a trip to Manchester City ahead of the international break.

The champions are also expected to lose Salah for the entire festive period owing to Egypt's participation at AFCON. The tournament, which takes place in Morocco, runs from December 21st to January 18th.