Following Liverpool’s dominant 3-0 triumph over Manchester United, Mohamed Salah made a surprising announcement that this would be his final season at Anfield. Salah, who now holds the record for the most goals scored by a visiting player at Old Trafford in Premier League history with seven, played a crucial role in helping Liverpool maintain their unbeaten start under new manager Arne Slot on Sunday, scoring once and assisting two goals for Luis Diaz.
United struggled to keep up with their intense rivals from the beginning, and if Salah and his teammates had capitalized on a few late chances, the defeat could have been even more severe. Despite Liverpool’s impressive win, Salah’s comments after the match drew significant attention.
“I had a pleasant summer, with ample time to reflect and think positively about myself. I want to enjoy my final year with the club,” said the 32-year-old Egyptian forward to Sky Sports. “I feel free to play football; we’ll see what happens next season. I haven’t discussed contracts with anyone at the club. The club has the final say on this, not me.”
Slot, who has made a remarkable start to his managerial career in England, became only the second Liverpool manager after George Kay in November 1936 and Bob Paisley in November 1975 to win his debut game at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Despite the historic victory and strong team performance, Salah’s future was the primary topic of conversation after the match.
Slot acknowledged Salah’s contribution but emphasized the team’s overall performance. “There are many ‘ifs,’ but for now, he is one of us, and I am very pleased with him,” Slot remarked. “I don’t discuss contracts. Like in the first two games, he was impressive, but focusing on one player doesn’t do justice to the others. This game showed everything a manager could hope for. We faced some tough moments—United started strong, but once we were denied a goal, nobody got upset. We continued to play, scored three goals, and had more chances.”
Conversely, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was left grappling with another disappointing result following their last-minute loss to Brighton and Hove Albion the previous week. He expressed his frustration with the mounting pressure on his team.
“You have to understand that I’m not Harry Potter,” Ten Hag said. “We wouldn’t win trophies and overcome strong opponents if we didn’t keep making the same mistakes every week, in my opinion.”
With Salah’s statement adding more uncertainty to Liverpool’s season, both fans and analysts are speculating about the future of one of the team’s greatest players. Under Slot’s leadership, Liverpool is making progress, but it remains to be seen if Salah will leave Anfield on a high note at the end of the season.
