Mohamed Salah back with Liverpool after AFCON duty ahead of Marseille trip

Salah is back on Merseyside a month after he departed with his future seemingly in doubt after becoming embroiled in a dispute with head coach Arne Slot.

RETURN OF THE KING: Mohamed Salah is back on Merseyside after his Africa Cup of Nations exploits with Egypt (Tim Markland/PA)

Mohamed Salah has returned to Liverpool after Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt and will be assessed before the squad fly to Marseille for Wednesday’s Champions League match.

Press Association understands the forward is back on Merseyside a month after he departed with his future seemingly in doubt after becoming embroiled in a dispute with head coach Arne Slot.

After being left out of the side for three matches, he conducted an explosive interview after the chaotic draw at Leeds in which he accused the club of throwing him “under the bus” after results took a dive.

Salah reacts after his penalty was saved during the Africa Cup of Nations third-place game against Nigeria on Saturday (Themba Hadebe/AP)

He also suggested he had no relationship with Slot and questioned whether he would remain at the club – comments which resulted in him being left out of the squad which travelled to Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Salah returned to the squad for the home game against Brighton and was an early first-half substitute for Joe Gomez, but he left for Morocco with his future still under a cloud.

Liverpool are scheduled to train on Tuesday lunchtime before heading to France and Salah, who played on Saturday as Egypt lost the third-place play-off, could rejoin his team-mates for that.

Close friend Dominik Szoboszlai was in daily contact with Salah while he was away but declined to offer any insight into the forward’s mindset.

“We speak about everything (but) that’s between me and him,” the midfielder said. “He will come back and then we just keep on going.

A lifeline for Barnsley 👀

Adam Phillips takes advantage to reduce the deficit to one.

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— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 12, 2026

“He will be here and it’s the decision of the manager and the club. It is not about us, it is about him.”

Szoboszlai is determined to put the worst week of his Liverpool career behind him as the Champions League returns with a top-eight place at stake.

The Hungary captain hit the crossbar with a first-half penalty in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Burnley, five days after he gifted Barnsley a goal with a backheel in his own six-yard box.

Szoboszlai still has a lot of credit in the bank – he began the FA Cup win over the Tykes with a brilliant 35-yard strike – as the team’s best player this season, but he is determined to rediscover his high standards.

Next up, Olympique de Marseille away in the Champions League 🏟️⚽️ #UCL pic.twitter.com/GOitJ9KqXS

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 18, 2026

“For me, personally, it was a tough one,” he said. “I made a mistake against Barnsley but I have to make it clear it wasn’t disrespectful, in my opinion, and I would do the same against Arsenal, City and against Chelsea as well.

“I wanted to keep going but I tried to pretend that I was playing it back (to goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili) – just to make it clear.

“I missed a penalty but I’m going to keep on going. I’m going to take the next one and I’m going to score, I’m pretty sure.

“You have to forget it, that’s the best, but of course you have to have learned from it.

“To be honest, if you see me after every session, I cannot practise more – and I’m not allowed to practise more because I’m practising as much as I can. I will keep on practising and if I have another chance I will take it.”

Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai (left) has been in constant contact with good friend Mohamed Salah since he left for the Africa Cup of Nations (Peter Byrne/PA)

Szoboszlai’s future seems clearer, with talks continuing over a new contract.

“There is always progress but no decision has been made and I’ll just keep on going every week, every training, giving my best for the team, for the fans,” he said.

“Let’s see what is going to happen in the future. Of course I am happy here but you know how football works and that is something everybody has to take into account.”