Liverpool head coach Arne Slot appears to have dropped a huge hint over Mohamed Salah's future following the Reds' 3-3 draw with Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The Egypt international continued his scintillating streak of form in the six-goal spectacular at St James' Park, netting two goals of his own and providing one assist for Curtis Jones.
Salah's latest individual masterclass earned him yet another slice of Premier League history, as he has now scored and assisted in more matches than any other player in the competition.
The former Chelsea man has now notched at least one of his own and set up a teammate in 37 different Premier League matches, having gone level with Wayne Rooney's previous record of 36 against Manchester City at the weekend.
Salah's outstanding display did not suffice for maximum spoils in the North East, though, as Fabian Schar's late equaliser saw Liverpool drop points for just the second time on the road during the Slot era.
Slot "hoping and expecting" Salah to continue at Liverpool
© Imago
Arsenal and Chelsea's respective wins over Manchester United and Southampton means that Liverpool's lead at the Premier League summit has now been reduced to seven points, and Slot was inevitably quizzed on Salah's situation at full time.
The 32-year-old is yet to extend his contract beyond the end of the season, meaning that he can enter talks with foreign clubs from next month, and it has been claimed that he is growing 'exasperated' by the club's lack of progress in negotiations.
Liverpool are soon expected to present a formal offer to their highest-earning player, and speaking to Amazon Prime at full time, Slot expressed optimism that Salah would continue performing in a Reds jersey for a while.
"Every time we need Mo Salah he scores a goal. We are hoping and expecting he can continue this for a long time. He was outstanding in the second half, he did many special things for us," Slot said.
Even though Salah turns 33 next year, the ex-Roma attacker apparently believes that he is just starting to hit his peak, a belief backed up by an extraordinary set of statistics in the first half of the 2024-25 campaign.
Slot: 'Salah has led by example since day one'
© Imago
The winger has produced 15 goals and 12 assists from 21 appearances this season, scoring in each of his last seven Premier League games, and Slot also heaped praise on Salah for being an "example" to follow since he first arrived at Anfield.
"I have seen many games of last season but it is always difficult to judge a player if you are not there. What I did most was [look at] style of play and team performance and not that much the individual performance and what I noticed from the start, when he came in [in pre-season was] how fit he was, how ready he was to make it a very good season for him," Slot said in his post-game press conference.
"That he led by example from the first day onwards in pre-season where so many of his teammates who he usually plays with, so the international players, were not there and to still be able to work that hard, he did, and train so hard: yeah, and then we all saw the quality in the training sessions.
"It is difficult for me to predict the long-term future, the only thing I can expect or predict is he is in a very good place at the moment. He plays in a very good team that provides him with good opportunities and then he is able to do special things."
Liverpool only have two full days to recover from Wednesday's exertions before Saturday lunchtime's Merseyside derby with Everton, the final one at Goodison Park before the Toffees relocate to Bramley-Moore Dock.
Ben Knapton
