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Michael Owen believes Mohamed Salah will stay at Liverpool beyond the January transfer window. He said that the reception he received from fans against Brighton & Hove Albion was heartening and that he would likely stay.
Salah gave an explosive interview after the Reds' 3-3 draw at Leeds United in the Premier League on December 6. He slammed the club and claimed his relationship with manager Arne Slot was broken. He was then left out of the squad in their 1-0 win over Inter Milan at San Siro in the UEFA Champions League midweek.
However, the Egyptian winger featured in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, December 13. He has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield in January. However, Michael Owen doesn't believe it will happen, as he said on Premier League Productions (h/t Metro):
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"There was a little bit of a question mark whether he was going to get that real good reception from the fans because a lot of people were taking the side of Arne Slot. Not that he was against him, it wasn’t a duel, but it was Mo Salah against the club in many ways, wasn’t it? And they were obviously taking the side of the club."
Highlighting the reception Salah got from the club's fans at Anfield on Sunday, Owen added:
"I thought there might be a few jeers, a few boos, but there was none of it today and he’ll be delighted with that as well. All that he’s done for the club, it would be awful to finish his career at Liverpool getting booed off, but that never happened. And hopefully that was, 'I’ll see you in a month or so because I’m off to represent my country', and normal service has resumed. Hopefully, it’s not a, 'goodbye, I’m going and I’m going for good'."
It was the 33-year-old winger's last appearance for the Reds before going to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). If Egypt reach the final, he could miss around eight games for the club.
Michael Owens shares thoughts on Mohamed Salah's performance in Liverpool's win over Brighton
Salah came on in the 26th minute to a good reception from the Liverpool fans against Brighton after Joe Gomez went off injured. He attempted three shots, completed 27/32 passes, including five key passes, completed 1/3 dribble attempts, and missed one big chance (via SofaScore).
Assessing his performance, Michael Owen said:
"He did fine. He did quite well. He was quite unselfish at times. He certainly put in a shift, he was running a lot more than in previous games. He would have been desperate to get on the score sheet of course, but he did okay."
"I suppose he knocked a corner in for the goal. A good day’s work. Listen, when you win 2-0, the world looks rosy no matter what. I think everybody at Liverpool will be pleased that he’s back in the fray. They’ve won the game, clean sheet and service has resumed in many ways," he added.
Salah has scored five goals and provided four assists in 20 games across competitions this season for Liverpool.
