Mohamed Salah has criticised those “harsh” Liverpool supporters who booed Trent Alexander-Arnold as he insisted: “We shouldn’t act this way.”
The Egypt international was saddened by the reception the vice-captain received when he was brought on against Arsenal last Sunday – his first appearance since announcing he will leave his boyhood club this summer.
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Alexander-Arnold’s every touch was booed by a significant minority of fans inside Anfield with Salah adamant he “deserves the best farewell” in the remaining two matches against Brighton and Crystal Palace.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Salah told Gary Neville: “I was surprised because this is not how we act as Liverpool fans, we shouldn’t act this way with anyone.
“We should always appreciate the people that came here even for six months. Imagine someone who gave you his all for 20 years.
“It shouldn’t be like this, and I hope that will change at the next game at Brighton or the last game of the season because he deserves the farewell.”
Asked by Neville how much he will miss Alexander-Arnold, Salah added: “A lot. I told him yesterday don’t get eye contact (with me) on your farewell because I really love him and I think he deserves the best farewell leaving the club.
“He has done a lot for the city and done a lot for the club, and is probably (one of) the best players in the club’s history.
“He gave his all and I think he needed a new challenge. He spoke to me about it. It’s his decision, for sure, but he needs a new challenge. He is 26 years old and has won it all twice or three times, what more can he have done? He just needs a work change and challenge himself.
“People don’t know much about it, but he’s had 20 years at a club. It’s so tough mentally for someone to be 20 years in a club. People think ‘it’s the place you love’ and, yeah, I do love the place, but I’m going every day to the same place for 20 years. Mentally, you could be depressed.
“So I really wish him the best. I would always be in contact with him, but I think somehow the fans have been harsh with him. He didn’t deserve that and he deserves the fans to treat him the best way possible because he gave it all to the fans.”
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Salah revealed he didn’t try to persuade Alexander-Arnold to follow in the footsteps of himself and captain Virgil van Dijk by penning new deals.
“I get it, it’s his decision,” he said.
Salah is sad to see Alexander-Arnold leave Anfield (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP via Getty Images)
“I’m not trying to convince him to stay because I know 20 years in a club is not easy. It is just so tough. People think it’s easy to take a decision and just stay.
“No, it’s not and I didn’t want to speak to him much about it because I want him in my team always, somebody like him, you want him in your team. But also I understand that like being in a same place for 20 years it’s not easy.”
Salah, who signed a two-year extension in April, revealed that at the start of the season he thought there was just a “10 per cent” chance that he would stay beyond the current campaign.
“It was based on the history of the club,” he explained.
“We know the philosophy of the club. I’m not attacking them. I know how they dealt with players over 30 in the past. I didn’t expect that I would stay.
“From January I think onwards it was, ‘okay, things are getting better and better’. It took a while. I think the club was testing me to see whether I could still provide or not!”
(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
