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Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has taken aim at Mohamed Salah after his shock outburst at Leeds, telling the Egyptian he deserves his place on the Reds bench.
Salah was an unused substitute as Liverpool dropped more points in its woeful title defense, with Leeds claiming a last-gasp equalizer. After the game, he delivered a bombshell interview, hitting out at the club and boss Arne Slot just months after signing a new deal.
The 33-year-old went as far as saying he could leave the club in January as he felt deserving of more respect from his manager, with their relationship now having broken down.
Former Reds player and manager Souness slammed Salah over his conduct and took particular exception with his suggestion that he had earned his place through his previous performances for the club.
The Scot told talkSPORT: "The first thing that jumps out to me - it is all in past tense not what he's doing at present or moving forward. It is five goals in 18 games and it doesn't take a mathematician to work out that his numbers are very poor.
"For whatever reason, he has not been at it this season and he has to accept that. He doesn't deserve to be in the team. He has nobody else to blame but himself. The damning thing for me was when he said that he didn't have to turn up and fight for his place, because of what he has done for the club. It beggars belief."
Salah's outburst comes amid pressure on Slot, with Liverpool languishing in ninth in the Premier League. He is believed to retain the full support of FSG and the club's hierarchy, however.
And Souness believes Liverpool's supporters should be fully behind the Dutchman, insisting he is right to leave his talisman out of his starting line up.
He added: "Every day you should train at match tempo so that when the game comes round, you are ready for the intensity.
He should be setting the standards. He has a responsibility as a senior player to set the standards every single day in training. He has to get back to that.
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"He has obviously been coasting and the manager has seen that. And the supporters should back the manager. Slot will be doing the exact same things as he won last season when Liverpool won the league.
"The priority for Arne Slot is winning the next game. He will be scratching his head wondering why Liverpool isn't winning games. People talk about the new players but park that, where are the players who won the league last year?
"Players should look in the mirror and take responsibility. The idea that Arne Slot should be under pressure is nonsense."
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