For the first time since April 2024, Mohamed Salah did not start in a Premier League match last weekend. A terrible downgrade for the Egyptian striker who has been out of fuel since the start of the season despite his five goals and three assists in 18 matches. Obviously, this strong choice by Arne Slot caused talk on the other side of the Channel and the Dutch technician was relaunched for this daring choice this Tuesday at a press conference. And the latter wanted to explain his decision while saluting the great professionalism of his 33-year-old attacker:
“It was a normal reaction for a player who is good enough to play for us – and I say that in moderation, because he has been exceptional for this club and will continue to be exceptional in the future. He wasn’t happy not to be a starter, but he wasn’t the only one. But he behaved as you would expect from such a professional: he supported his teammates and performed very well. You can’t be a player who has to play every three days at a high level, but he is very disciplined and knows what he has to do to stay fit. Whether he plays well, whether he plays badly, whether he plays or whether he doesn’t play, he will always be a top professional.»
