Arne Slot suggests Mohamed Salah must acknowledge 'mistake' to get back in Liverpool squad as Virgil van Dijk vows to talk with disgruntled team-mate

Salah was left out of the travelling Liverpool squad after his remarks following the 3-3 draw with Leeds last weekend, when he claimed he had been "thrown under the bus" after being omitted from Slot's starting lineup for three successive games. With the Egyptian left at home, the Reds kept the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram quiet before Szoboszlai converted from the spot late on after Florian Wirtz had his shirt pulled by Alessandro Bastoni. The victory was a big one for Slot, who has been under pressure to halt the club's recent poor run of form, and the three points saw Liverpool jump into the top eight of the Champions League league phase following their demoralising 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven on the previous matchday.

Slot had hinted before Tuesday night's game that there is a way back for Salah if he shows some contrition and apologises and made the same point after the victory, but he seemed to put the ball in the player's court to make the first move.

Slot told compatriot Clarence Seedorf on Amazon Prime: "You say everyone makes mistakes in life, so the first thing should be: does the player think he's made a mistake as well?

"And then the next question is, should the initiative come from me or him? That's another question to answer."

He later added: "Clarence said that in his opinion and I didn't say who should make the first step. Tonight it should be all about the players that are here. In the rich history Liverpool has had they have had many of these evenings.

"(The performance) was all I could ask for, I think the fourth game in 10 days, that is not what you see a lot with only 13 outfield players available with experience, after the blow we had conceding the 3-3 in Leeds then in this stadium against such a strong Inter team, we hardly gave away a chance. 

"We had a great mentality second half, we get better and better."

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There seems to have been little contact between some of Liverpool's on-field leaders and Salah since his incendiary remarks at Elland Road, with goalkeeper Alisson Becker admitting he hadn't spoken with his legendary team-mate during the fallout. Captain Virgil van Dijk, however, has revealed he is due to hold peace talks with the Egypt star, though the Netherlands international hinted, like Slot, that Salah may need to take some responsibility and try to rebuild the bridges he broke when he accused the club of mistreatment.

Van Dijk said: "I have to, I'm going to talk to him. But then you have to ask should the initiative come from me? I'm not the one to speak if someone has to apologise. 

"It's him airing his feelings for the past couple of days. That's something the club has to deal with, obviously, me as well. The reality also is that Mo is going to Africa soon. I've known him for such a long time, we are good friends and have been through highs and lows. We speak and those types of things will stay indoors as it should be. 

"We have to brace ourselves and be against the outside noise."

In most seasons, Liverpool would have been dreading losing their talisman for the better part of a month to the Africa Cup of Nations. However, this year it seems the break between the two parties could prove to be a much-needed cooling down period as Slot attempts to lead the Reds back up the table. The Premier League title is almost certainly beyond their reach, but a good run of form could have the Merseysiders back in the picture for Champions League qualification, with fourth-placed Crystal Palace only three points ahead of them. It remains to be seen if Salah will be back in the squad for Saturday when Liverpool host Brighton at Anfield, with that scenario likely hinging on the outcome of talks with Slot and key squad members like Van Dijk.