Mohamed Salah has returned to Liverpool’s squad for their Premier League home match against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Four-time top-flight golden boot winner was excluded from the trip to Inter in the Champions League on Tuesday after claiming that he had been “thrown under the bus” during the Reds’ prolonged slump in form, adding that his relationship with head coach Arne Slot has broken down.
Liverpool will start the match two places behind the eighth-placed Seagulls on goal difference, having taken eight points from their last 10 league games.
Mohamed Salah: Will Liverpool forward play vs Brighton?
Salah has not started any of Liverpool’s last four matches and voiced his disgruntlement after remaining an unused substitute in their 3-3 draw at Leeds United last Saturday.
The 33-year-old has 250 goals in 420 appearances for the club but only five in 18 games in 2025/26.
Slot’s side are unbeaten since Salah was dropped following a 4-1 European home defeat to PSV, earning their most impressive result without the revered forward by winning 1-0 at 2024/25 Champions League finalists Inter.
The Dutchman said he would make a decision about Salah’s inclusion after speaking to him personally on Friday, adding that he had “no reasons not wanting him to stay”.
At his best, Salah’s involvement empowers Liverpool with one of the best forwards in Premier League history – and their asking price if the Saudi Pro League make a mooted move for the Egypt captain in January is likely to be higher if he is not in dispute with the club.
British-record £125 million signing Alexander Isak and £79m France forward Hugo Ekitike formed part of Liverpool’s attack in Milan, demonstrating the abundance of options Slot has up front.
Egypt’s participation in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations means that Salah will not be available until at least January 1 after Liverpool play Brighton, perhaps allowing a further cooling-off of any residual tensions.
Mohamed Salah: What did the Liverpool icon say?
After the draw with Leeds, Salah told reporters: “I have done so much for this club down the years, and especially last season.
“Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship.
“It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.
“It is not acceptable for me. I don’t know why this is happening to me. I don’t get it. I think if this was somewhere else, every club would protect its player.
“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 signed a new two-year contract in April and contributed three goals and four assists in nine appearances to help Liverpool reach the last 16 of the 2024/25 Champions League, losing at home on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.
The six-time European champions have won four and lost two of their matches in the league phase of the Champions League this season. Salah has one goal and one assist across those games.
How to watch Liverpool vs Brighton: TV channel, live stream
Kick-off on Saturday is at 15:00 GMT (10:00 ET / 07:00 PT). The match is not being shown live in the UK.
Mohamed Salah salary
Two-time African Footballer of the Year Salah previously signed a new deal in July 2022 making him the highest-paid player in Liverpool’s history.
The 32-year-old’s lawyer and adviser, Ramy Abbas Issa, told a Harvard Business School study in 2023 that Salah earns at least £1 million a week in total income, boosted by factors such as his lucrative endorsements.
“Renewing at Liverpool would be one of the biggest milestones of my career,” Salah said in the study, via The Guardian.
“But we have to do this the right way. I’ve learned throughout my career that if you want to be successful, it is important to invest in yourself not just physically but also mentally.”
