17 Liverpool players, past and present, react to Mohamed Salah’s explosive statement after Aston Villa defeat | OneFootball

Mohamed Salah’s explosive statement yesterday sent shockwaves across Merseyside as the Egyptian King publicly urged a change of identity at Anfield, despite the very real risk of being dropped for his final game in a Liverpool shirt.

Following the Reds’ damaging 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Friday night, Salah posted a pointed message on social media, widely interpreted as a dig at manager Arne Slot.

In it, he demanded Liverpool return to being the “heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear” , a clear reference to the Jurgen Klopp era – and called for the club’s attacking identity to be “recovered and kept for good.”

Liverpool players past and present show support for Mohamed Salah statement

The most telling fallout from Salah’s post may not be the words themselves, but who has rallied behind them.

A remarkable 17 past and present Liverpool players have reportedly liked Salah’s Instagram post, raising further questions over dressing room morale under Slot.

Current Liverpool stars Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong were among those to publicly show support.

Several former Liverpool players also reacted to the post, including Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adrián, Luis Díaz and former vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The responses from Curtis Jones and Hugo Ekitike, who replied with clapping and handshake emojis respectively, have only intensified speculation that Salah’s frustrations may be shared by sections of the current squad.

With Liverpool currently sitting fifth in the Premier League and fighting to secure Champions League qualification on the final day, the public backing has raised fresh concerns over whether Slot still retains the confidence of the dressing room.

Steven Gerrard reacts to Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool message

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard also weighed in on Salah’s statement and suggested the post could be a sign of deeper problems behind the scenes at Anfield.

Speaking on TNT Sports, Gerrard said:

“Wow. Listen, that is extremely interesting. Mo Salah doesn’t really speak much, and he doesn’t tweet, and he certainly doesn’t tweet like that.

“So, I think he’s sending a message to the outside that things in that Liverpool dressing room are not right. The identity’s gone, and it’s really hurting him to see it in front of his own eyes.”

Gerrard’s comments are likely to add even more scrutiny to Slot’s position as Liverpool head into a crucial summer following a turbulent campaign.

With several teammates rallying behind Salah, Slot’s time at the club could be coming to an end.