Salah: Trent didn't deserve the boos

Mohamed Salah says Liverpool fans were wrong to boo Trent Alexander-Arnold and insists the right-back deserves “the best farewell” for all he has done for his boyhood club.

Alexander-Arnold was booed by some Liverpool fans at Anfield during last Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal following confirmation that he is leaving to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer.

Salah was saddened by his team-mate’s reception against Arsenal and understands Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave the club having been at Liverpool since the age of six.

“I think somehow the fans were being harsh with him,” Salah told Sky Sports’ Gary Neville in an exclusive interview ahead of Liverpool’s meeting with Brighton on Monday Night Football.

“I think he didn’t deserve it at the time, he deserved the fans to treat him the best way possible because he gave it all to the fans.”

The 26-year-old has made 353 senior appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring 23 goals, and will depart having won two Premier League titles and a Champions League.

Asked if the boos saddened him, Salah said: “Absolutely. I was surprised because this is not how we act as Liverpool fans.

“We shouldn’t act this way with anyone who always appreciates the people, who came here even for six months.

“Imagine someone who gives you his all for 20 years. It’s shouldn’t be like this. I hope that will change next game, against Brighton or in the last game of the season, because he deserves the farewell.”

Salah, who signed a new contract at Liverpool along with Virgil van Dijk in April, also expressed his sadness at Alexander-Arnold’s departure but insisted he was entitled to seek a new challenge after so many years of service to Liverpool.

“I told him yesterday don’t give me eye contact in your farewell,” added Salah.

“I really love him. 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 he’s one of probably the best players in the club’s history. He gave it all.

“I think he needed a new challenge. He spoke to me about it. It’s his decision for sure. He’s 25, 26 years old and won it all twice or three times. What more can he have done?

“He just needs to go, change and challenge himself. People don’t know about it much but he spent 20 years in the club.

“It’s so tough mentally for someone to be 20 years in a club. Yeah I do love the place but going every day to the same place for 20 years, mentally you could get depressed.

“I really wish him the best. I’ll always be in contact with him.

“It’s his decision. I did not try to convince him to stay because I know it’s 20 years in a club is not easy. It’s so tough.

“People think it’s easy to take a decision and stay. It’s not.

“I want him in my team always. Somebody like him, you want him in your team. But also I understand, being in the same place for 20 years is not easy.”

Salah: Honest conversations with Slot inspired my season

Salah has contributed 46 Premier League goal involvements in a stunning individual season for the champions and says Arne Slot’s influence has been key.

“I felt he was quite tough,” says Salah of his first impression of the Liverpool boss who arrived as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement last summer.

“If he wants something he keeps asking you straight away. It was quite tricky in the beginning but after that you get used to him and how he talks to you and what he wants from you and things become easier.”

Salah says Slot demonstrated his importance to the squad during a lacklustre pre-season warm-up.

“He showed me a few videos of myself in the warm-up,” he said.

“Players were in national teams and I wasn’t so I came early with the younger players, started the pre-season earlier and I did a warm-up.

“I was quite slow, didn’t do much. Then he showed me, ‘look at the second [player] after he sees you take it easy, look at the third one’. Then you see the whole line walking like me and he said ‘that’s your influence on the team’.

“We had a few honest conversations between us. He was very honest, showed me a few clips of mine and said, ‘with this Mo, we can win everything. With this Mo, we can’t win much. I want to get the best out of you, I want this one to be available the whole season and your best year to come with me’.

“I said, ‘OK. Let me know what you want from me and I will do it because I’m very professional’.

“He didn’t challenge me, he was very respectful and I told him he was a very respectful person. He treated me different. He was showing me what he wanted from me. [Slot said:] ‘If you want to add something, change something be open with me’ and that was great.

“I just felt, new manager coming, give you space and appreciation, let me talk to him all the time [about] what I want to improve, what I want the team to do for me, what I want to do for the team… I think that’s what I needed.

“He showed me, ‘you are different, you are a superstar here’ – I probably felt that’s what I needed at the time.”

Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season

From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.

And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.