Micah Richards says Slot must start ‘hungry’ Liverpool player with 0 minutes in last 7 games | OneFootball

Micah Richards has called for Mo Salah to be restored to the starting XI the moment he returns to Liverpool.

The Egyptian international is set to make his way back to Merseyside after Egypt lost their third-place playoff clash against Nigeria.

The tie saw both sides fail to register a single goal in normal time, with the Pharaohs eventually losing on penalties.

Micah Richards backs Mo Salah return

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Richards challenged Alan Shearer on Salah’s return, with the former having raised the quandary of how Liverpool would fit the attacker back in the side.

“He’s got to start,” the ex-Manchester City star told The Rest is Football podcast.

“I know he’s [Arne Slot] played [Jeremie] Frimpong wide right, but Salah’s got to start, without a doubt.

“He’s going to come back hungry, and he’s done really well at AFCON as well.”

The pundit went on to suggest that the Merseysiders could return to a front-three comprised of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Mo Salah.

The midfield three would then return to a traditional trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

Should Salah be restored to Liverpool’s starting XI?

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

It looks to be a potentially tight turnaround for Liverpool’s legendary right winger, but it’s still possible that Salah will play a part in the club’s upcoming Champions League clash on Wednesday.

Whether the two-time Premier League winner will be granted a starting spot against Marseille in the Reds’ visit to Stade Vélodrome, however, remains to be seen.

The 33-year-old has enjoyed a solid AFCON campaign – registering five goal contributions in seven games – but hasn’t started a game for the Reds since the 4-1 loss to PSV in November – over seven games ago.

* Mo Salah’s minutes in Liverpool’s last five games across all competitions (Fotmob)

However, surely enough time has passed following Salah’s explosive post-Leeds comments to enable Arne Slot to return the Egyptian to his first-XI.

A clash in Europe – the one competition that has mostly gone Liverpool’s way in the 2025/26 season – certainly represents an excellent opportunity to ease the attacker back into domestic football.

Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobile