Mohamed Salah comment after being substituted 'stands out' to Arne Slot

Arne Slot has spoken out on Mohamed Salah's exit for the first time, with the Dutchman acknowledging he knew the Egyptian was going to go at the end of the season

Mohamed Salah has won nine titles with Liverpool and will depart as one of the club's greatest players(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool manager Arne Slot offered some insight into Mohamed Salah’s mentality as he discussed the Egyptian’s iconic career.

The dynamic forward is set to bring the curtain down on his illustrious Anfield career at the end of the season. His exit will conclude a nine-year spell in which Salah established himself as one of the modern Premier League’s defining figures — and one of the best in league history.

Slot highlighted the forward’s exceptional qualities that have allowed him to remain among the world’s elite for over a decade. Having worked closely with Salah for nearly two seasons, Slot pointed to the 33-year-old’s professionalism, consistency, and mentality as key factors behind his sustained success at the highest level of the game.

“So many good players around the world [and] he's definitely one of them in the last 10 years, that everybody talks about being one of the best there is and was in the last 10 years,” Slot said. “To show that hunger every three days, that professionalism, that commitment to the club, to the team, to wanting to score again, always wanting to play.

“When you take him out three minutes before the end, he's like, 'Maybe I could have scored one extra!' – that is what stands out for me.”

Salah’s mentality has yielded tremendous success on the pitch. To date, he has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances, winning four Premier League Golden Boots — a record held with Arsenal icon Thierry Henry — and two Premier League Player of the Season awards.

Salah has helped Liverpool win nine titles, including two Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. He is an all-time great, proving worth every penny of the $46.84 million transfer fee to land him from Roma.

Arne Slot has worked with Mohamed Salah for two seasons at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

When discussing the news of Salah’s impending exit, Slot continued: “I knew, so it wasn't new news to me, but I think it was very good to hear and see all the reactions of his teammates, but also from everywhere around the world, for what he has done for this football club and for football in general.

“I’ve mainly seen this as a fan, so watching football, seeing him playing at Liverpool, doing all these special things that he's done for this club. Of course, in the fixtures against [Manchester] City, but in all the other fixtures as well. He broke record after record after record.

“Then I started working with him, and already the first day I was impressed by his professionalism because, as with any season, it starts with a test that shows how much they did in the off-season, and he beat all of them. He was the fittest player that came back, and I think that's the ideal situation that you want as a manager: that your star player comes back as fit as he did.

“He had nothing to prove, but for himself, he had a lot to prove because Mo always thinks he has to prove something every three days. That hunger never stops, and that is something that I find most special about him.”

Salah and Liverpool are next in action against Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, April 4.