Mohamed Salah back in Liverpool’s squad for game against Brighton

RETURN OF THE EGYPTIAN KING: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during a training session at the AXA Training Centre. Pic: Tim Markland/PA Wire.

Mohamed Salah will be back in Liverpool’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League home game against Brighton following talks with Arne Slot.

Slot revealed on Friday morning that Salah’s involvement against Brighton rested on the outcome of a conversation he would have with the forward at the club’s training ground later in the day.

“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome of that conversation determines how it will look tomorrow,” said Slot at his pre-match press conference.

“We have spoken a lot in the last week after the Sunderland game. There were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, our representatives and him, between him and me, and today I will speak to him again."

Details of their conversation remain private, so it is unknown whether Salah apologised to Liverpool’s head coach for the highly-critical interview he gave at Leeds last Saturday, but the 33-year-old has been included in the squad for the match at Anfield.

Salah had said at Elland Road that the Brighton game would be an opportunity for him to say goodbye to Liverpool fans before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday. He had asked his parents to be present at Anfield, too.

Slot would not have recalled Salah if he felt it was against the best interests of the team. The Egypt international was left out of Tuesday’s Champions League win at Inter on the basis a short period out of the team suited all parties.

“I think we decided as a club — and I was part of that decision — not to take him to Inter Milan and I am always in contact with them but when it comes to the decision-making of the line-up or the squad they always leave it open to me," added Slot.

“That is not to say I don’t talk to them, mainly Richard not Michael [Edwards, chief executive of football for owners Fenway Sports Group] but I talk to him about so many things: The decision to play a player or have him in the squad — as I have experienced until now and I think this will never change — is entirely up to me.”

Salah’s time away at Afcon gives Liverpool, the striker and his representative, Ramy Abbas Issa, a period to tackle the situation before he returns to the club in January.

In Salah's absence a depleted team beat Inter Milan 1-0 in a solid away performance which made it two wins and two draws in the last four matches - all with the Egyptian not in the starting line-up.

Tuesday night saw the Dutchman employ a diamond midfield formation which allowed him to start £200million worth of striking talent in Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike for only the second time.

While it could hardly be considered a roaring success Slot is hopeful to give them more chances.

"The more they play together they more they will adapt to each other and the better they will co-operate," contined the Reds boss.

"I saw promising things from the both of them. It's only the second time they've played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future.

"Alex got a knock in the first half, so let's see how he recovers from that today and if he is able to start tomorrow."

Fellow forward Federico Chiesa has recovered from illness and will rejoin the squad.

Meanwhile Brighton and Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler admits Evan Ferguson, fresh from his brace against Celtic on Thursday, remains an option for the Seagulls after it was confirmed that striker Stefanos Tzimas is out for the season with an ACL injury.

"Evan is a player for us, that is why he will always be an option," said Hurzeler.

"At the moment he is on loan but we follow it, we are pleased how he performed yesterday. Of course we all follow it, so definitely he might be an option."