Slot ready to bring Salah back into fold after AFCON stint and December rift

Mo Salah in action for Egypt during the Africa Cup of Nations
Mo Salah in action for Egypt during the Africa Cup of NationsAmr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

Liverpool coach Arne Slot said he was delighted to have Mohamed Salah returning from Africa Cup of Nations duty soon, despite an apparent falling-out just weeks ago.

In a fiery outburst after a ​3-3 draw at Leeds United, the Egyptian forward accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and said his relationship with ‌Slot had broken down.

The 33-year-old, who will be involved in Egypt's ‌third-place match against Nigeria on Saturday, had been left on the bench for three matches and has not started for Liverpool since November.

"First off, he has to play another big game for Egypt ⁠on Saturday," Slot told reporters ahead of their home game against Burnley this weekend.

"I'm ‌happy he's coming back. If I had 15 attackers, I would still ​be happy to have him back."

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The Dutch coach said an 11-game unbeaten run across all competitions had boosted Liverpool's season. But five Premier League draws in that run have left the champions fourth, 14 points behind leaders ‍Arsenal.

"Ideally, it's not 11 ‌games unbeaten, it's 11 wins in a row. That is what we aim for," Slot said.

"From where we were when we conceded four goals against PSV to now - a much ⁠better place, but there's still enough room for improvement."

Slot acknowledged the pressure to secure Champions League qualification, having led the table early on.

"We haven't put ourselves in the most ideal position, especially when you compare to where we were after six games."

Slot praised Andy Robertson's response to his reduced role in the squad.

The 31-year-old defender - once a mainstay in Liverpool's back line - has not yet committed his future to Anfield. Although the Scotland international has lost his starting place to ⁠Milos Kerkez, he said he wanted to stay at ‌the club.

"I have to give Andy a big compliment about what he said. It was very mature," Slot said.

"But I'm really happy he also feels he finds joy in the position he's in and understands how important ⁠he has been to this club for all these ​years, and still is."

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