LIVERPOOL, England — Mohamed Salah was left out of Liverpool’s starting lineup by manager Arne Slot on Wednesday for the second straight Premier League match, in what could be a sign of the Egypt winger’s fading status in his ninth season at the club.
Salah was named on the bench for the home game against Sunderland, only entering as a halftime substitute — and failing to score — in a 1-1 draw at Anfield.
On Sunday, the Egypt winger was an unused substitute in Liverpool’s 2-0 win at West Ham. That marked the first time Salah hadn’t started a league game under Slot, who took charge in the offseason of 2024 and won the title in his first season — chiefly thanks to the goals of Salah.
Slot acknowledged Salah was unhappy at being dropped last weekend but that he “handled himself really well” and was a “top professional.”
Liverpool has three matches — two in the Premier League and one in the Champions League — before Salah heads to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.


















