Head coach also insisted he is not ‘weak’ amid row

Egyptian left out of squad for game at Inter

Arne Slot has cast further doubt on Mohamed Salah’s future at ­Liverpool by admitting that he has “no clue” whether the forward has played his last game for the club. The head coach also insisted his politeness should not be mistaken for weakness after leaving Salah out of the Champions League game against Inter on Tuesday.

Slot gave his first public ­reaction on Monday to Salah’s incendiary interview at Leeds when ­previewing ­Liverpool’s match at San Siro. He denied Salah’s claims that their relationship had broken down and said only the Egypt international knows who supposedly threw him under a bus and wants him out of the club.

Salah trained on Monday for the second day in succession before Slot told him directly that he would not be travelling to Italy for the Champions League game. The decision to remove the 33-year-old from selection for a short period was taken by the Liverpool hierarchy in conjunction with Slot, and with the full support of the Dutch coach. Salah could also miss the home game against Brighton on Saturday. He is due to report for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt on Monday and could be away from Liverpool until mid-January, when Saudi Arabian interest in the forward is likely to be rekindled.