Curtis Jones has publicly disclosed that Liverpool star Mohamed Salah personally apologised to the first-team squad following the controversy sparked by his explosive recent interview.
Squad Apology After Explosive Interview
The Liverpool midfielder, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, confirmed that Salah addressed his teammates directly in the wake of the furore. Salah had given an incendiary interview after Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds, where he accused the club of "throwing him under a bus" following a poor run of results and suggested his relationship with head coach Arne Slot had deteriorated.
"Mo is his own man and he can say his own stuff," Jones stated. "He apologised to us and was like: 'If I've affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologise.' That's the man that he is." Jones emphasised that Salah's demeanour within the group remained positive throughout, describing him as having "a big smile on his face" with team relations unchanged.
Slot's Handling and Team Response
The fallout from Salah's comments led to his immediate omission from the squad for the Champions League victory over Inter Milan. Manager Arne Slot has since recalled the 33-year-old Egyptian forward, who started in last Saturday's Premier League win against Brighton.
Slot, however, has declined to confirm whether he received a personal apology from Salah, telling a press conference he would not comment further to avoid creating "a distraction" while Salah is on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Jones offered a sympathetic perspective on Salah's frustration, contrasting it with a more problematic attitude. "I get that there are certain ways you can go about things," he said. "But if a lad's fine to just be on the bench and he doesn't want to play and help the team, then I think that's more of an issue."
Moving Forward as a Unit
Liverpool's form has notably improved since the incident, with the team remaining unbeaten in the five matches after Slot initially dropped Salah in response to damaging home defeats by Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.
Jones believes the intent behind Salah's comments was never to harm the collective spirit. "When there's been any sort of anger from us, including myself, it's always been from a good place," he explained. "In the moment, it might not have come out in the right way, but it's never been to affect the team, the staff, the manager, anybody like that."
He concluded on an optimistic note regarding the squad's current state: "We're past that now and we're gelling well as a team, playing well and starting to win games." The resolution of this internal matter appears to have coincided with a return to form for the Merseyside club as they pursue their season objectives.
