Getty Images Sport'He's not the same type of leader as Steven Gerrard' - Liverpool legend insists Mohamed Salah cannot tackle crisis 'head on' amid dire run
Getty Images SportStar forward Salah questioned for lack of post-match interviews
Looking to find the right balance to resurrect his side’s fortunes, manager Slot has started Salah on the bench for the last two league games against West Ham and Sunderland.
While Liverpool have collectively dropped off in what has been alarming 2025-26 campaign so far, Salah has been a shadow of the player who sparkled in the previous season, inspiring the club to a 20th league title after scoring 29 goals and recording 18 assists in 38 glittering appearances.
And while Salah’s uncharacteristic performances have raised eyebrows, the 33-year-old’s leadership has also been questioned in recent weeks.
Having sought out the media to express his disappointment at not initially being offered a new contract by Liverpool last season, Salah is yet to address supporters amid the club’s sharp decline this term, with captain Virgil van Dijk handling the majority of post-match interviews.
Getty Images SportReds legend Carragher criticises Salah's silence amid poor form
And that is something which has not gone down well with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who told Sky Sports in November: "I think Virgil van Dijk, after the game, has come out again and spoke, as he should do as a captain, he's called Liverpool a mess.
“I must say, on the back of all these Liverpool defeats, it's always Virgil van Dijk who comes out. And as I said, the captain should do that, but there should be other players in that dressing room coming out and speaking for the club. A year ago this weekend, Mo Salah wasn't shy in coming out and speaking about his own situation, about the club not offering him a contract. I only ever hear Salah speak when he gets man of the match, or he needs a new contract.
“I'd like to see Mo Salah come out as one of the leaders, as one of the legends of Liverpool, come out and speak for the team. He shouldn't always be the captain.
“But, obviously, the manager is the one in the firing line. Any manager with results like that, as you said, if they were part of the bottom four or a promoter team, would be under pressure. So there's no doubt the manager is under pressure now with results like that, on the back of being champions, but also on the fact of what Liverpool spent in the summer.”
Getty Images SportEx-Liverpool striker says Salah is not cut from same cloth as Gerrard
However, one man who doesn’t quite agree with Carragher is his former Liverpool team-mate Heskey, who represented the club between 2000 and 2004.
While acknowledging that Salah should “stand up and face the criticism”, Heskey says he expects the former Chelsea and Roma forward to do so on the pitch, insisting he is not cut from the same cloth as Van Dijk and Gerrard, who captained the club from 2003 to 2015.
Speaking to sports betting site BetWright, Heskey said: “Liverpool are preparing for life after Mohamed Salah. I’d be surprised if they haven't been preparing for that since the beginning of the season. Because he’s probably got just under two years left in his contract and he’s well into his thirties.
“It will be a big change for Liverpool when Salah no longer features on a regular basis. Arne Slot will be looking at different formations and styles once he’s phased out of the starting XI.
“On the criticism he’s received recently about not coming forward to the media about the poor run of form, you’ve got to remember he’s not the same type of leader as perhaps Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard were.
“The likes of Virgil van Dijk or even Curtis Jones will come out and speak and tackle the situation head on – that’s not Salah. Even when he was flying, I don’t think he spoke much. But as senior player, it’s his role to stand up and face the criticism.”
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