Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has revealed that Mohamed Salah apologized to the team following his recent public comments. The squad, according to Jones, remains fully united behind the forward.
Salah was left out of the team for Liverpool’s Champions League match against Inter Milan last week. This came after he said in an interview that he no longer had a relationship with head coach Arne Slot following the 3-3 draw with Leeds United.
After talks with Slot, Salah returned to the squad for last weekend’s win over Brighton. He came off the bench and set up a goal in the victory. Slot has since said there is “no issue to resolve” with Salah, who has now left to play for Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations.
In an interview, Jones shared that Salah addressed the team. “Mo apologized to us and was like, ‘If I’ve affected anybody, I apologise’. That’s the man that he is,” Jones said. “He was the exact same Mo, he had a big smile on his face and everybody was exactly the same with him.”
Jones understands that frustration can sometimes come out the wrong way. “When there’s been any sort of anger from us, including myself, it’s always been from a good place,” he explained. “We’re past that now and we’re gelling well as a team.”
‘The Family is the Most Important Thing’
Jones himself spoke openly last month after a heavy home defeat, calling the team’s form “unacceptable.” Since then, Liverpool have gone five games without a loss.
“As a Scouser, I know how much it means to the fans,” Jones said. “I hate to lose… It was positive to see how the lads all acted. They didn’t blame Mo, didn’t blame the manager, didn’t blame each other.”
He described the club as a family. “Families argue and fight, but they always stick as one,” Jones stated. “That little blip showed that the family is the most important thing. Nobody has blamed anybody and I think that’s the important thing.”
Slot: Focus is on Salah at AFCON
Head coach Arne Slot, speaking on Friday, said he will not distract Salah while the player is at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“We moved on after the Leeds interview and he played against Brighton,” Slot said. “Now he’s at AFCON playing big games… It’s fair to them but also us that all the focus is on him over there. There should not be any distraction from me saying anything about his time here at Liverpool.”