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Jamie Carragher suggested Mohamed Salah “really let himself down” by failing to give Florian Wirtz a goal to help the blockbuster new signing settle in.
On Saturday, Salah hit out at Liverpool and Arne Slot after being named on the bench for the third time in a row against Leeds, which ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Speaking to reporters after the game, he accused the club of "throwing him under the bus" and claimed his relationship with the head coach had broken down.
The 33-year-old also called out Carragher during his tirade, saying: “I know the club too well, I have been here many years. Tomorrow Carragher is going to go for me again and again, and that’s fine.”
Having maintained his silence on Sunday, Carragher responded to Salah on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. He criticized the winger for what he perceived to be a calculated attack on the club and Slot.
The former defender also criticized the Egyptian for his failure to help new signings like Wirtz and Alexander Isak settle, as Liverpool looks toward a future without Salah at his best. The two new signings have struggled thus far, with Wirtz yet to find the net since his $150 million record move.
“The one time I really wanted to be critical, and I held back, this season about Mo Salah on the pitch — as I said before, I've never been critical about him on the pitch,” Carragher said. “He is a legend of the club, right, his legacy is there.
“If he doesn't score another goal or make another assist for this club, I don't care. He's been amazing. Where he really let himself down in my eyes was this season in Frankfurt and another game, where there's a guy who's starting for Liverpool who needs a goal more than anyone, Florian Wirtz.
“Instead of just being a great player for the club, be a great ambassador for the club, and roll that ball to him for an easy tap-in, and go over and give him a hug and a kiss and say, 'you know what, you're the guy who's going to take this Liverpool team forward. I don't need any more goals.'
“I’ve seen Barnes at the end, I've seen Rush at the end, I've seen Steven Gerrard at the end. Do you think they were the same players in their pomp? Of course they weren't. Do supporters think any differently of them now when they see them? They say no, you were the top five or six players to play for Liverpool, and the same will be said of Salah.
“So in terms of on the pitch, the one criticism I've got, help the other players, help Florian Wirtz, help Isak, don't be obsessed with your own numbers, and don't, as I've said, what he's done off the pitch, I think the club have made the right decision in terms of him not going abroad.
“Whether he will play for Liverpool again, I don't know. I hope he does, because he's one of the greatest players we've ever had, but if you continue like that and statements like that, if he doesn't play, as I've said, who knows.”
Salah has since been left out of the squad to face Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, Dec. 9. It’s unclear when he will feature for the Reds again.
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