Curtis Jones has disclosed that Mohamed Salah issued an apology to his Liverpool teammates following the significant fallout from a recent interview in which the star forward criticised the club and manager Arne Slot.
Salah's Apology and Squad Reaction
The controversy erupted after Salah gave an interview following a 3-3 draw with Leeds, accusing Liverpool of "throwing him under a bus" amid a poor run of results. He also suggested his relationship with Slot had deteriorated. As a consequence, Salah was omitted from the squad for the Champions League victory against Inter.
Jones, speaking to Sky Sports, confirmed Salah addressed the squad directly. "Mo is his own man and he can say his own stuff," the midfielder said. "He apologised to us and was like: 'If I've affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologise.' That's the man that he is."
Jones emphasised that the atmosphere within the camp remained positive, stating Salah returned with his usual demeanour. "He was the exact same Mo, he had a big smile on his face and everybody was exactly the same with him," Jones added, attributing the incident to the forward's competitive nature.
Slot's Stance and Team Morale
Head coach Arne Slot has remained tight-lipped on whether he received a personal apology from the 33-year-old Egyptian before recalling him for last Saturday's win over Brighton. At a press conference, Slot declined to comment further, wishing to avoid a "distraction" while Salah is away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Jones defended his teammate's underlying motivation, contrasting it with a lack of desire. "I get that there are certain ways you can go about things," he said. "But if a lad's fine to just be on the bench and he doesn't want to play and help the team, then I think that's more of an issue."
The midfielder insisted the outburst was not intended to harm the team's unity. "When there's been any sort of anger from us, including myself, it's always been from a good place," Jones explained. Liverpool are now unbeaten in five games since Slot dropped Salah following defeats to Nottingham Forest and PSV.
Wirtz's Physical Adaptation
In other news, Slot has pointed to Florian Wirtz's physical development as a key factor in the German playmaker's adaptation to the Premier League. The £116m signing showed improved strength in the 2-0 win over Brighton, though he is yet to register a goal or assist in 15 league appearances.
"Florian has improved a lot," Slot stated. "I am not talking about his ability on the ball because we could see from the start that he was top. But... you see it gets easier for him."
Slot attributed the progress to a combination of gym work and match experience. "A lot of them have grown in kilograms, in muscle. That's one thing," he said. "The only way to get Florian stronger... is to play games."
Looking ahead, Dominik Szoboszlai is hopeful of facing Tottenham after returning to light training from an ankle injury. Conor Bradley is available after suspension, and Jeremie Frimpong could return to the squad for the first time since October.
