Curtis Jones reveals what Salah has done behind the scenes at Liverpool since post-Leeds outburst | OneFootball

Mo Salah issued an apology to his Liverpool teammates in the days following his explosive public tirade after the 3-3 draw at Leeds a fortnight ago.

Having been left out of the starting XI for a third consecutive match and not even been brought off the bench at Elland Road, the Egyptian’s annoyance boiled over as he told reporters that his relationship with Arne Slot had deteriorated and that he felt as though he’d been ‘thrown under the bus’ at Anfield.

He was duly omitted from the Champions League win away to Inter Milan before coming on as a first-half substitute against Brighton last Saturday, with the home fans in L4 giving him a rapturous reception when he replaced the injured Joe Gomez.

Curtis Jones reveals Salah apology to Liverpool teammates

In an interview with Sky Sports on Friday, Curtis Jones revealed that Salah apologised to his teammates before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) earlier this week.

The Liverpool midfielder said: “Mo is his own man and he can say his own stuff. He apologised to us and said, ‘If I’ve affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologise’. That’s the man that he is…He had a big smile on his face and everyone was the same with him.

“I guess it’s just part of wanting to be a winner and I don’t think he will be the last. I get there are certain ways you can go about things, but if a lad is fine just to be on the bench and he doesn’t want to play because he wants to help the team, then I think that’s more of an issue.”

Jones added: “In the moment it might not have come out in the right way but it’s never been to affect the team, the staff, the manager or anybody like that. We’re past that now anyway, so now we’re on the point of where we are gelling well as a team, playing well and starting to win games.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Brighton game showed signs of truce between Salah and Liverpool

While it wasn’t ideal that Salah’s substitute involvement against Brighton last week was prompted by an injury to Gomez, it at least provided him with a prolonged opportunity to prove a point on the pitch following his outburst at Elland Road.

The 33-year-old responded with an energetic performance in which he claimed the assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second goal, and the crowd’s vocal support for both him and Slot indicates that most fans remain firmly behind both men, rather than creating a divide by picking sides.

It seems paradoxical that one of our greatest players of all time hasn’t been in the starting XI at all during the current five-match unbeaten run, and his AFCON involvement means we won’t see him in a Liverpool shirt until after the New Year period, depending on how far Egypt progress at the tournament.

Thankfully the Brighton game hinted at signs of a truce between Salah and his teammates and head coach, although his long-term future is set to remain a talking point throughout the January transfer window, especially if he doesn’t go straight back into the team upon returning to Merseyside.

For the time being, at least, it seems as though peace has been restored within the dressing room, and hopefully the Reds can keep their improved form going throughout the festive period despite the absence of their talismanic winger.

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