Big changes after Jürgen Klopp’s exit didn’t help and now time is short for club to make their talisman feel wanted again

Mohamed Salah’s admission that he is “more out than in” at Liverpool creates a tremor in an otherwise serene debut season for Arne Slot. The Liverpool head coach can take comfort in the fact there is zero evidence to support Salah’s claim on the pitch and, while he and sporting director Richard Hughes are new to the club, contract posturing by the Anfield superstar is not.

Salah rarely stops to give post-match interviews but what happened at Southampton on Sunday was not unusual in many respects. There was the removal of the shirt following a match-winning goal that invited a yellow card but also revealed a chiselled physique. Just in case anyone is still wondering what condition he is in at 32. Another decisive job done, with Liverpool sitting eight points clear at the top of the Premier League thanks to his 11th and 12th goals of the season, and Salah seized his next opportunity, telling waiting reporters he was disappointed not to have received a formal contract offer and a resolution is “not in my hands”.