Alan Shearer has stated that Mohamed Salah had no option but to deliver a good performance for Liverpool against Brighton, following a period of tension with manager Arne Slot. Salah came off the bench in the Reds' 2-0 victory at Anfield, having been left out of the starting line-up and previously omitted from the Champions League squad against Inter Milan.
The Egyptian forward had earlier given a controversial interview claiming he was 'thrown under the bus' by the club after being benched for three consecutive matches. Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, Shearer said: 'He had to come on and do well, after what he said. And then put back in the squad, he had to run around, and he had to do well.'
Shearer's co-panellist Micah Richards agreed, noting that Slot handled the situation well and that Salah looked sharp despite missing a chance. Gary Lineker asked Shearer to elaborate, who responded: 'I don't think he had a choice, by the way. He had to, didn't he?'
Salah is now set to join up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, which Shearer believes may help calm the situation. Liverpool's next fixture is against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in the Premier League. Before leaving, Salah posted on social media a graphic highlighting his scoring record for the Reds.
