Jill Scott explains why Salah had to speak and backs his decision | OneFootball

A familiar Liverpool debate has taken on a new dimension following comments from an outside voice.

Mo Salah has been at the centre of intense scrutiny since his post-Leeds interview, but Jill Scott believes the context around his decision has been widely misunderstood.

Speaking on The Overlap, the former England international offered a defence that cuts through much of the surrounding noise.

“I didn’t mind him coming out and doing that interview,” Scott said. “I really didn’t.”

The former midfielder suggested the reaction missed what the moment actually represented for us as a club.

“I think it just showed how much he cared about playing for the club,” she explained.

Scott added: “He was genuinely hurt by the whole situation and felt like he was being made a scapegoat.”

Why the Salah situation became so charged

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

For Liverpool, the episode was never just about one interview.

The Egyptian winger has been navigating a changing environment under Arne Slot, following a title-winning 2024/25 campaign and the start of a new cycle.

The 33-year-old’s role against Brighton, coming off the bench before providing the assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second goal, felt like a turning point on the pitch.

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has already framed the situation in starkly footballing terms, arguing that “if Salah plays well, then he should get in the squad and even the team, if not, then he doesn’t.”

That performance-based view sits alongside Scott’s emotional reading of events rather than contradicting it.

Both point to standards, expectations and the pressure that comes with being our most consistent attacker of the modern era.

Salah context matters at Liverpool

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

There has also been wider acknowledgement that circumstances around our No.11 have shifted.

Ryan Babel highlighted how changes in personnel and structure inevitably affect output, noting that “his environment changed” following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure.

The former Red also reminded listeners that decline, adaptation and fluctuation are human realities, even for elite performers.

Salah’s numbers remain significant, with 277 Premier League goal involvements for us, yet the conversation has increasingly focused on moments rather than output.

Scott’s comments add an important layer by reframing the interview as vulnerability rather than defiance.

With Salah now heading to AFCON after playing his part against Brighton, there is an opportunity for us to draw a line under the episode.

Liverpool have moved through far bigger storms by sticking together.

Scott’s words suggest this one was always more about emotion than ego.

You can watch Slot’s post-Brighton press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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