The bench is not a place Mohamed Salah has ever felt comfortable staying on
Being left on the bench resorted Mohamed Salah to tears during the 2018 World Cup. Ever the competitor, the Liverpool legend had led his nation to its first appearance at the tournament since 1990.
However, he was forced to watch their opening match to Uruguay from the substitutes bench after struggling to recover sufficiently from a shoulder injury. Egypt fell to a devastating 1-0 defeat courtesy of Jose Maria Gimenez’s 89th minute winner in what resulted in the winger breaking down emotionally at full-time.
Amidst the uncertainty of his future at Anfield after accusing the club of “throwing me under the bus” last weekend, his BBC documentary ‘Mo Salah: Never Give Up’ was released on Wednesday.
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Telling the story of his rise to global superstardom, his tears after Egypt’s loss in Russia was revealed by former international team-mate Ahmed Elmohamady. The ex-Hull City and Aston Villa defender said: “He didn’t play the first game.
“He was crying, I remember that, in the dressing room after the game he didn’t play. For him it was an absolute nightmare.” Salah’s emotional reaction to not being able to help his team-mates illustrates just how competitive he is.
However, his latest stint on the bench for Liverpool was due to selection preference rather than injury with Salah blasting the club and claiming he has no relationship with Arne Slot following the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds United.
“I could not believe I was sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” the 33-year-old said at Elland Road. “That’s the third time. It’s the first time in my career I think. I am very disappointed, I have done so much for this club over years, especially last season, It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus.
“That’s how I feel (about) it. Someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me a lot in summer. Now I’m on bench so I can say they haven’t kept those promises.
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“I used to have a good relationship (with Slot). Now we don’t have any relationship and I don’t know why. Seems like someone does not want me in the club. I called my mum and dad and told them to come to the Brighton game.
“It doesn’t matter if I play or not. I’m going to enjoy it. I am just going to be at Anfield and say goodbye to the fans before the African Cup of Nations, because I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.
“It’s not acceptable to me to be fair. If I was somewhere else,every club would protect its players. Now it’s: ‘Throw Mo under the bus because he is a problem in a team.'” Salah was omitted from the Reds squad in their Champions League clash against Inter Milan which they won 1-0 on Tuesday night.
