'You have to fight!' - Liverpool icon hits out at Mohamed Salah for 'not prove his worth' comments as Saudi transfer emerges as 'best solution'

Salah hit international headlines on December 6 after he launched an unexpected bullet towards Liverpool and head coach Arne Slot, speaking to reporters after he was benched for a third successive Premier League game at Elland Road.

The Egyptian would later return to the Reds fold as a substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion but the damage had already been done, and question marks remain about his long-term future at Anfield now that he is set to return from a month away at AFCON, where his nation were knocked out by a Sadio Mane winner for Senegal in the semi-finals.

Salah told reporters that evening in Leeds: “How I see it now is like you throw Mo under the bus because he is the problem in the team now. But I don't think I am the problem. I have done so much for this club.

“The respect, I want to get. I don't have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I am not bigger than anyone but I earned my position. It's football. It is what it is.”

Salah’s comments appear to have struck a chord with former Reds star Hamann, who expressed his surprise at the winger’s statements and suggested an exit to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere might be the “best solution”.

Speaking to BetGoat, Hamann said: “There have been poor performances without Salah as well, so it’s unfair to put it all on him. But Salah’s quote about not wanting to have to prove his worth every day struck me. That is exactly how it is. 

“When you bring in players like Isak, Ekitiké, and Wirtz, and you have Gakpo, you have to fight for your place regardless of the past. The main question is: is Salah prepared to sit on the bench for a few games if the manager feels someone else is better, even if it's a Champions League semi-final or final? If not, it’s probably best to part ways.

“I don't see why Salah and Wirtz can’t work together. Salah found it hard to score from open play since Christmas last year. The question is how much Salah is still capable of affecting games. He is 32 or 33 now; with offensive players, six months can make a huge difference.”

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Hamann continued: “He could have gone to Saudi Arabia last season and didn't. I'm not sure he wants to go there. But if you ask me today, the best solution would be to part ways. It would probably benefit him and the team. 

“He came out with statements I didn't really understand, and if he stays, it lingers around the camp. Every time he doesn't play, the manager gets asked why, and it becomes a distraction.”

Salah has 18 months left on his deal at Liverpool and it appears likely at this point that it will be his last contract at the club, regardless of what happens after his return to Anfield this month and in the summer.

Sides in the Saudi Pro League will no doubt return in an attempt to secure the services of arguably the most high-profile Arab and Muslim player in world football, with an eventual move to the Middle East touted for Salah for a number of years.

Though speculation of Salah departing this month has largely gone quiet, the 33-year-old faces a testing period in the coming weeks as his role within Slot’s Reds side will become clearer, whether or not he decides to ‘fight’ for his place in the starting XI.