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Jurgen Klopp has previously praised Mohamed Salah as a "fantastic human being," despite a well-known disagreement between the two at Liverpool.
Salah has been an invaluable asset to the Reds since his transfer from Roma, but it hasn't always been smooth sailing, especially with his managers. On Saturday, the Egyptian expressed dissatisfaction with current boss Arne Slot, having been left on the bench for the last three matches. Following Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds, Salah stated: "I used to have a good relationship (with Slot).
“Now we don’t have any relationship, and I don't know why. (It) 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."
Despite the apparent deterioration of Salah's relationship with Slot, one person who continues to admire the Liverpool star is former manager Klopp. Last year, the German lauded Salah's character and suggested he deserved a new contract at Anfield.
"I hope he stays," he said. "He’s the biggest striker Liverpool have had in modern times. Obviously there were other really good strikers. "He’s a fantastic player, a fantastic human being, an outstanding athlete. The best ambassador your country could have.
"I hope he stays at Liverpool."
But Klopp and Salah experienced their share of tensions during the German's tenure in the Anfield dugout. The duo notably had a public confrontation on the touchline during a draw with West Ham at the London Stadium in May 2024.
Following that altercation, Salah suggested there would be "fire" if he spoke openly about what happened. However, Klopp insisted there was no lasting friction between them.
"I think we have the right to deal with these things completely independent of any expectations from the outside," Klopp said at the time.
"If we didn't know each other for that long, I am not sure how we would deal with it, but we have known each other for that long and respect each other so much that it's really no problem.
"The best situation would be everyone is in the best place, we win the games and score loads of goals, then yes, the situation probably would not have been like that because Mo wouldn't have been on the bench in the first place.
"It all depends on each other."
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