Dominik Szoboszlai shares impact of Liverpool fallout on Mohamed Salah relationship

Dominik Szoboszlai has cast a light on his bond with Mohamed Salah. He's also lifted the lid on the Liverpool mood amid the Egyptian's recent public grievances.

Dominik Szoboszlai has been discussing his bond with Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah.(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

The one thing that has definitely improved at Liverpool in the last few weeks is the level of noise around the club. Turning the form around is still very much an uphill struggle on the pitch, one not helped by Mohamed Salah's AFCON-enforced absence, but the Egyptian's hiatus has at least tempered some of the recent off-field drama.

In case you needed a reminder, Salah astonishingly claimed that he had "no relationship" with manager Arne Slot, accusing the club of throwing him under the bus after a week's absence from the starting line-up. Things were sufficiently patched up to pave the way for an appearance from the bench in his last game before AFCON, but there was no definitive resolution.

However, the hope will be that time can serve as a healer. Salah does seem to be enjoying himself on Egypt duty, and Dominik Szoboszlai seems optimistic that the problems might be in the past.

"It was not nice to see it," Szoboszlai said of the recent Salah fallout, speaking to Sky Sports. "He is professional enough to handle the situation, I never got involved.

"I was there for him every day, if he wanted to talk to someone and if he needed help. He has the character to deal with this situation.

"Everybody hopes that he is going to come back after AFCON and help us in the same way he did last season. But that is his decision and the club's decision.

"As a friend and teammate, I love playing with him, I know what he is able to do. Last season, he showed that he is able to do anything."

There is little doubt that a fully-firing Salah would be a massive asset to Liverpool in the second half of the campaign. His form for much of last season made him a Ballon d'Or front-runner (he would ultimately finish fourth).

And while there can still be no justification for his remarkable outburst, it has to be said that Salah's absence from the Liverpool side is somewhat supporting his argument that he has been made a scapegoat. There has been no drastic upturn, even with a younger and more press-willing front line, and his own early AFCON form suggests the problems might lie primarily with the Anfield setup.

Salah is in fine form for Egypt at AFCON.(Image: Mohamed Tageldin / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Having said that, even if Salah was not the main problem at Liverpool in the first half of this season, Slot was still right to feel that his superstar has not done enough to become the solution. Having been rewarded with a bumper contract well into his 30s, the onus is on the Egyptian to get closer to his peak levels.

If he does return to Liverpool and fight to do exactly that, then he will have a supportive ear from Szoboszlai. The Hungarian has revealed that they have developed a strong bond, which has persisted throughout the recent turbulence.

"I think we are very close," Szoboszlai revealed. "From day one, he took me under his wing and tried to help me.

"We became closer each day and trust each other even more. I know a lot about him that maybe nobody else knows."

Szoboszlai has shouldered some of the leadership for Liverpool this season amid Salah's struggles.(Image: Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images)

In more recent weeks, Szoboszlai may have been asking for specific pointers on playing on the right wing. He has sometimes been tasked with filling in for his friend, and has done a very respectable job.

He remains very much a midfielder by trade, but Szoboszlai has showcased the traits of a truly elite player this season, even amid the side's struggles. At right-back, right-wing or in his natural position, he has stood head and shoulders above most of his teammates, forcing his quality on the game.

You might even make the case that he has begun to take over some of Salah's responsibilties when it comes to leading from the front and dragging the team forward. At the very least, it's not hard to see why the pair are close in the dressing room, with both of them always keen to set the standards.

With any luck, we haven't seem them share a pitch for the final time. But if and when Liverpool does move into a post-Salah era, it might just have its next superstar waiting in the wings — or in this case, in midfield.