11 hours ago
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Arne Slot has said he was happy with the outcome of of Friday's showdown talks with Mohamed Salah, which resulted in the winger being reintegrated into the Liverpool squad against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Slot revealed in his pre-match press conference that he was due to speak with Salah ahead of the game, with the meeting set to determine whether the 33-year-old would be included in the matchday squad.
That came after Salah's bombshell interview last week in which he criticized the club and head coach, claiming he no longer had a relationship with the latter.
The Egyptian was dropped for the midweek trip to Inter Milan, but Slot made the decision to name Salah on the bench for Saturday's game against Brighton, before he heads to the Africa Cup of Nations next week.
Speaking for the first time since Friday's meeting, Slot was asked by Sky Sports if he was pleased with the outcome.
"Yes, of course, otherwise I would have done [it] probably differently," he replied. "He's back in the squad and on the bench today."
Slot was not forthcoming with any details on how that meeting went, although he will invariably be quizzed on the matter after the Brighton game.
It's understood Slot prioritized the team's needs during those talks with Salah, who will fly to Morocco on Monday and meet up with the Egypt squad.
The forward is set to be joined on the Liverpool bench by Alexander Isak, who Slot revealed ahead of the game is struggling with a knock.
Asked on Saturday how severe the injury is, the Dutchman replied: "Minor. He got a knock in both games [last week] and games come quite fast.
"There's also not so much to choose from so it's also nice to have someone off the bench who can impact the game. I have a few others who can do that as well."
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