No Salah, no peace: Liverpool at San Siro without the written off star

Mohamed Salah will not travel with Liverpool for Tuesday's Champions League showdown at Inter - a decision taken jointly by sporting director Richard Hughes, the club's ownership and head coach Arne Slot, in a move that unmistakably signals backing for the Dutchman.

The shock call comes just days after Salah publicly admitted he felt "thrown under the bus" by the club and confessed that his relationship with Slot has collapsed. The Egyptian trained with the squad on Monday, but tension had been brewing for weeks: three straight matches starting from the bench, two without a single minute on the pitch, and a superstar growing visibly frustrated.

Salah's amazing rant against Slot and Liverpool

After the draw at Leeds, the 33-year-old broke his silence. He hinted at a possible January exit, claimed he has been made a scapegoat for Liverpool's uneven season, and delivered the line that sent shockwaves through Anfield: "Someone doesn't want me in the club."

Despite the eruption, Liverpool insists this is not disciplinary action. No fines, no suspension - just, as sources describe it, a "breather" for both sides. The club maintains they remain fully committed to Salah and his contract, which runs until 2027, and say they are not planning for his departure nor weighing January replacements.

Still, the contrast with last season is brutal. Salah fired 34 goals and 23 assists to push Slot’s side to the Premier League title before signing a two-year extension in April - a decision he now admits is painful even to discuss:

"Imagine how bad it is that I have to answer that… Signing for this club, I will never regret it. I thought I would end my career here, but this is not according to the plan."

Salah is due to join Egypt's squad on December 15 for the Africa Cup of Nations - but between now and then, Liverpool's biggest star and their head coach stand on opposite sides of the same storm.