Mo Salah is BACK! Liverpool star to return to squad for Brighton clash after peace talks with boss Arne Slot

Per widespread reporting, Salah is poised to return to the Liverpool squad this weekend. The Reds superstar sent a bombshell message at the weekend as he claimed that he was "thrown under the bus", but has since held clear-the-air talks with his manager, and is set to be reintegrated into the squad. It is the final opportunity for Salah to play before he jets off to the African Cup of Nations with Egypt. The news could end the ublic spat which has shrouded Liverpool in recent weeks, set against the backdrop of a woeful run of league, cup and European results, which has seen the club all-but surrender their Premier League title. 

And while it isn't clear if he will be named in the starting XI or on the bench, the positive update will come as a huge relief to Liverpool coaching staff and fans ahead of the weekend clash with Brighton at Anfield. 

The Liverpool boss spoke to the press earlier in the day and confirmed he was scheduled to speak with the Egytian icon before making any decision about including him in the team for the weekend. And while he was happy to admit to wanting Salah back, he baulked at the suggestion of making an apology for the mess, whoch has been an embarrassing episode for the club. 

Slot told reporters: "I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome determines how it will look tomorrow."What I need is a conversation with him and the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. There's not much more I can say. I speak to him today and the outcome determines how things will look tomorrow. You can try in multiple ways but I just said the next time I speak about him should be with him. I think there's been a lot of conversations since the last week between his reps and ours. An apology? Normally I'd say you've had your three questions. I have no reason for not wanting him to stay."

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The great and the good have weighed in on the Salah debate in recent weeks, including both Jamie Carragher and Alan Shearer, who have been highly critical of Salah. Carragher initially labelled Salah a "disgrace" and "selfish" for comments made after being left on the bench against Leeds United. Carragher argued that Salah and his agent strategically time public outbursts to "cause maximum damage" and pressure the club, potentially to secure a new contract or even force the manager out. The ex-Liverpool defender later offered a conditional apology, saying he "adores" Salah the player but maintains the forward needs to "behave himself off the pitch". 

All-time Premier League top goalscorer Alan Shearer echoed Carragher's sentiments, largely agreeing that while he understood Salah's frustration at being benched (having experienced it himself), the player was wrong to air his grievances publicly to the press. Shearer believes the matter has escalated to the point where Salah may have played his last game for Liverpool, and that his explosive remarks have "tarnished" his legacy at the club.

Shearer said: "He'll go down as a Premier League great whether he has played his last match or not and it'd be such a shame for him to go out like this after what he's done for Liverpool. One thing I will say though is that it won't be forgotten all of this, but I don't think it'll ruin his legacy. He's achieved so much, and Liverpool wouldn't have won what they have without him so I don't think it'll ruin his legacy, but it will be tarnished. I think Slot has handled the situation really well. I thought he spoke well before and after the game on Tuesday. It was a very, very difficult situation for everyone but I thought he spoke with precision, honesty and openness - I thought he got things absolutely right." 

Liverpool's erratic form this season sees them languishing tenth in the Premier League table and are desperate for victory over Brighton at Anfield this weekend. As well as their well-documented defensive frailites, the Reds have struggled in front of goal this season, having not scored in the opening 45 minutes in any of their last five Premier League matches, their longest run without a first half goal since between January and March 2021. And while Brighton beat Liverpool 3-2 in their last meeting in May, they have never beaten the Reds in consecutive league matches before.