Gary Neville cranks up Arne Slot sack pressure as international coach aims brutal dig at Liverpool boss | OneFootball

Arne Slot finds himself under greater pressure of the Liverpool sack than ever in the wake of Mohamed Salah’s exit announcement, Gary Neville has explained, while Hungary’s manager has taken an angry jibe at the Dutchman over comments around Dominik Szoboszlai.

It’s not been a good season for Slot with his Liverpool side massively underperforming and falling well short of the high standards they set last season. Now 21-points off the Premier League summit, it looks increasingly likely that their crown as English league champions will be passed on to Arsenal this season.

But for Slot, the damage could have far greater repercussions. And after a season that has seen his position put in serious jeopardy, >our reporter Graeme Bailey revealed earlier this month that, with Xabi Alonso open to a return to Anfield and willing to step into Slot’s shoes, the Dutchman has become increasingly irked by the long shadow being cast over Anfield by the Spaniard.

As a result, we understand the Dutchman faces the very real prospect of losing his job this summer.

However, in the wake of Salah’s announcement this week that he will leave Anfield at the end of the season himself, Neville believes supporters will be raging in the wake of the news with many turning the heat on Slot as a result.

Of course, the Egyptian had a very public falling out with Slot in December when the 33-year-old accused the Reds boss of “throwing him under the bus” and while they have since made amends, there are plenty who feel the row will have had lasting damage.

Assessing the situation, Neville told the Stick to Football podcast: “I suspect Liverpool and Arne Slot are in a position whereby Mo Salah’s said, ‘Look, I’d like to announce it’.

“They’re in the very difficult position of, if we say no and announce it at the end of the season, they’re going to p*** him off, and he’s going to be walking round unhappy.

“For Liverpool, is it the right time now?

“And for Arne Slot, what does it do for him? He’s the guy at the moment that is under pressure.

“I understand why he’s under pressure, obviously because there’s been a massive drop-off, but he won the league seven months ago, and I would have thought that Liverpool, in the way that you [Jamie Carragher] always talked about Liverpool treating their managers as a god, that they would be more thinking that the players have let him down than he’s the instigator.

“For the first time, it feels like Liverpool are turning on the manager over the players, which is something that is surprising to watch from the outside.

“What does it do for Arne Slot? Does it put more pressure on him now for the rest of the season if he’s got Mo Salah leaving, he’s willing to rip up his contract, he’s obviously not playing that well.”

Slot himself has openly admitted that this season has comfortably proved his most challenging in football.

And after a loss at Brighton last time out condemned the side to their 10th Premier League loss of the campaign – the first time the club had racked up that unwanted tally in a decade – Slot conceded that his tired-looking side were looking in need of a rest.

“Unfortunately, it looks like my players are in more of a need of a rest than me,” was the Dutchman’s assessment to that defeat.

Those comments, though, were not looked on favourably by the manager of Hungary, Marco Rossi.

And with both Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez in his ranks, he used his press conference before Saturday’s friendly clash against Slovenia to fire a dig at those remarks made by Slot.

“I have never spoken to Slot personally. Accordingly, I have never had a say in when the Liverpool head coach, for example, will play Szoboszlai as a defender,” he stated.

“But I would also expect him not to interfere in my work. If Dominik wants to rest, of course, I would let him.

“But everyone knows how important the national team jersey is to him as the team captain. What is important for us now is to end these two matches with a good result.”

Hungary have a second friendly scheduled for Tuesday when they face Greece.

Latest Liverpool news: Romano on Salah + Messi link-up / Bowen talk cooled

Meanwhile, claims that Salah will join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami this summer have led to Fabrizio Romano delivering a detailed look into the speculation, while further clarification has emerged on where the departing Liverpool superstar will end up next.

With regards to Salah, controversial YouTuber Mark Goldbridge has paid surprising respect to the Egyptian, though he did admit “the football had left him” this season following a staggering drop-off which had left Liverpool “looking like they had 10 men”.

In terms of a replacement on the Liverpool wing, both Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard have explained why a £52m England international would be the wrong profile of player required at Anfield.