Breaking News: Reds teammates in fiery row as baffling Mohamed Salah claim made

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (Image: Ryan Crockett/DeFodi)

When the Reds play Southampton in the Premier League, they hope to maintain their strong play. A large portion of Arne Slot’s team is now on international duty but will return soon.

As the international break nears its end, focus may nearly return to domestic football.

As the Reds attempt to continue a season in which they have already smashed records, Arne Slot will be happy to see his players back shortly. As they continue to figure out what their head coach wants, the Dutchman, who has so far led Liverpool to the top of both the Premier League and the Champions League, will not want his team’s efforts to wane.

As the club prepares to travel to St Mary’s to play Southampton, Slot will hope they return unhurt. Liverpool leads rivals Manchester City by five points already, while Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, and Arsenal are four points behind.

Mirror Football examines some of the recent Reds news, even though there are still some international obligations.

During their clubs’ matchup in South American World Cup qualifying, Reds quarrel Liverpool teammates Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz got into a heated argument. In a thrilling match, Colombia, led by Diaz, appeared to have a late tie when Andres Gomez equalised in the 96th minute, but Manuel Ugarte of Manchester United scored in the 11th minute of extra time to win 3-2.

It seems that there was still some tension at the final whistle, as Diaz and Nunez exchanged cold words and a cold reception before being dragged apart by their international teammates. The two eventually embraced before parting ways, suggesting that tensions had subsided despite what at first appeared to be concerning scenes for Liverpool.

Virgil van Dijk’s forecast
Jose Fonte, a former colleague of Virgil van Dijk, believes the Dutchman will continue to play well into his forties. The former Southampton and Celtic player’s future is still up in the air, as his Liverpool contract is scheduled to end this summer.

Virgil van Dijk celebrates his goal against AC Milan ( Image: Getty Images)

But according to Fonte, Van Dijk’s talent won’t be a hindrance. Fonte has no doubt that Van Dijk could continue if he so chooses, but the dedication needed to keep playing at the top may be a bigger factor.

“I’d back Virgil van Dijk to play into his 40s because although he still has pace, he would be able to adapt in his positioning and anticipate the game even better as years go on,” he stated to JeffBet.

It will just depend on what he wants to accomplish with his career because playing at the top level can be very taxing. If he keeps fit and doesn’t get hurt, he should be able to play into his 40s. Every day you have to work so hard. He is one of the best specimens I have ever seen, yet he is a monster physically. As a centre back, he is a complete player who wins all of his headers and duels quickly. He is also skilled with the ball.

Fonte also mentioned Sven Botman, a standout for Newcastle United, as a potential Van Dijk replacement. “I’d love to see Sven Botman replace Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool and I think he has the ability to do it,” he stated.

“He is a beast, just like Van Dijk, and we won the league together in France. He plays as the left centre defender, is tall, skilled in duels, likes a tackle, is aggressive, and is still a young player. I only hope he can recover from his injuries and maintain his health; if he does, Liverpool will undoubtedly take him into consideration.”

Troy Deeney causes confusion Mo Salah asserts
Troy Deeney, a former forward for Watford, made the startling assertion that Mohamed Salah is not a world-class player. Even though Liverpool’s star has scored eight goals and provided six assists this season, more goals than any other Premier League player, Deeney is still not convinced of his ability.

The former player did have some compliments for Salah, and he thinks Liverpool erred in allowing his contract to expire.

Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool contract is due to expire in June ( Image: Getty Images)

“I think Mohamed Salah is excellent, he’s a pivotal part for Liverpool and they should never have let it [his expiring contract] get to this situation,” Deeney stated to talkSPORT. “However, I am aware that they have a budget that they would like to adhere to.

“I’ve always maintained that I don’t believe he is a world-class player. However, world class is just a different perspective. In my opinion, world class is defined as whether or not I would want my children to play like that player. I consider that to be world class.

“If my children were asked if they wanted to play forward, I would tell them that I preferred Vinicius Jr. than Mohamed Salah.

However, I think that Salah is really effective and scores an incredible number of goals. That’s just my view. I think he’s going to turn around and ask, “Who the f*** is Troy?,” and I’ll give him credit for that.”