Roy Keane warns Liverpool why Mohamed Salah farewell could 'turn nasty'

Mohamed Salah has announced he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, but former Manchester United captain Roy Keane thinks he's got the timing all wrong

Roy Keane has questioned the timing of Mohamed Salah's announcement(Image: Stick to Football)

Roy Keane has questioned the timing of Mohamed Salah’s announcement that he will be leaving Liverpool, having insisted he should have waited until the end of the season.

Salah will bring his nine-year spell at Anfield to an end this summer, having reached an agreement with Liverpool to waive the final year of his contract and leave for free.

No indication has yet been given on the 33-year-old’s plans once he leaves Merseyside, although a move to Saudi Arabia is being tipped as the most likely outcome. Salah’s agent though has insisted nothing has been decided, having sent a spiky message hitting out against the speculation around his client’s future.

Salah’s announcement has led to glowing tributes from Liverpool supporters, who are set to give him a big send-off during the final couple of months of his time with the Reds - although Jamie Carragher is hoping his final game won’t come at Anfield.

Former Manchester United captain Keane though feels Salah and Liverpool have gone too early with their announcements, and should have kept it back.

“I’m not sure it’s ideal, the timing. I don’t know why he doesn’t wait until the end of the season,” Keane said on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast.

Mohamed Salah is set to leave Liverpool in the summer(Image: Ryan Crockett/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

“Last year, there was a kind of noise coming out, 'This could be my last game at Old Trafford.' He played all those games last year before he signed his new deal.

“If Liverpool finish the season really badly, and they’ve not been great, and he’s in games — we saw with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] a little bit last year, different circumstances, Trent, is he leaving, then he has a bad game against United.

“Say they come off in the last month or two and they don’t do anything in the cup matches, and he’s not at his best, they’ll be saying ‘he’s already left the club, his heart’s not in it’.

“I think that can turn a bit nasty, so this idea of a parade — it’d be different if they were like Arsenal and they were top of the league, you’re going to win the league like last year, but I’m not sure about the timing. I don’t know why you don’t just wait until the end of the season and go ‘I’ve done my bit’.”

Keane added: “Liverpool have a lot on their plate, don’t turn it into another circus act, like last year got a bit silly towards the end of the season, and it can turn the other way, fans can turn on him if he’s not at it.”

Liverpool.com says: This feels a lot like Keane just disagreeing in order to be the contrarian, as usual. Once Salah and Liverpool came to an agreement that he will be leaving, they were always going to make the announcement early.

And, let’s face it, how can it make matters any worse this season? Given the way the atmosphere has been turning in some games recently, having fans giving Salah a huge send-off during the final couple of months might actually help the Reds.