Slot jibes at Salah’s standards comments: ‘Not only important in gym… also on pitch’

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3 min readUpdated: May 9, 2026 03:24 PM IST

Salah Mo Salah in action. (FILE photo)

Harmony has not been the keyword at Liverpool Football Club this season. After winning last season, things have fallen apart for the Reds both on and off the pitch. Star player Mohamed Salah has announced he will move on from the club at the end of the season, and his rift with manager Arne Slot this season has been well documented.

However, although Salah has said he will leave, he has continued to raise concerns about team culture and more recently, he spoke about gym culture.

“I told them when I leave, you need an example here. You need people to come early to the gym and people look at them: ‘Oh he goes to the gym, so I need to go.’ If that doesn’t happen, I think it will be tricky for this club because it’s something very, very necessary. You put the standard high, like people have to come early. People have to go gym,” Salah said.

Defender Virgil van Dijk supported Salah’s comments and said: “A lot of work behind the scenes that needs to be done”

When Slot was asked about his players’ statements, he said, “Mo is saying that standards are really important for a football club. I cannot agree more!”

When the media further probed him, Slot said, “I’m completely convinced that we have enough players next season – and, add to that, the ones that we will sign – to put the standards exactly where they are needed. The standards are not only important in the gym… It’s also on the pitch. Ok. You understand me? Without me saying anything?” said Slot.

Salah is set to bring the curtain down on his illustrious career with the Reds after spending nine years at Anfield.

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“Unfortunately the day has come. This is the first part of my farewell. I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season,” Salah said in a video posted on X.

Salah is third on Liverpool’s all-time leading scorers list with 255 goals in 435 appearances.

“I wanted to start by saying that I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, this people, would become part of my life. Liverpool is not just a football club, it’s a passion, it’s a history, it’s a spirit. I can’t explain in words to anyone not part of this club. We celebrated victory, we won the most important trophies, and we fought together through the hardest time in our life,” he added.

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