Mohamed Salah may have to accept 'different role' at Liverpool and Antoine Griezmann proves it

Former Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes has offered his opinion on what could be next for Mohamed Salah at Anfield

Mohamed Salah has been told he may have to accept no longer being a regular in the Liverpool starting line-up in the near future - but has been backed to keep making an impact for the Premier League champions. Salah caused a commotion in early December when, having been benched for three successive games by Arne Slot, he claimed he was being scapegoated for the team's poor form and had no relationship with the Reds boss.

Having then been dropped completely for the next game at Inter in the Champions League, Salah apologised to his team-mates and held clear-the-air talks with Slot, and has started all four Liverpool games since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations a fortnight ago.

Salah, who is now 33, created a Premier League record at the weekend when his assist for Florian Wirtz's strike in the 4-1 win over Newcastle United took him on to 152 goal contributions at Anfield in the competition - a record for any player at a single stadium.

READ MORE : Liverpool forced into late Premier League fixture change after European failure

OPINION

The Egyptian is in the last 18 months of his Anfield contract with clubs in the Saudi Pro League expected to launch a concerted effort to sign the winger in the summer transfer window.

But former Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes is convinced Salah will have a part to play for Liverpool next season but it may be similar to that of 34-year-old France World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann, who features in every game for Atletico Madrid when available but rarely as a starter.

"What’s been happening to Liverpool is similar to what’s been happening at Real Madrid: they’re not quite getting the results," said Morientes. "Liverpool were used to winning, and their biggest star is Salah.

“The thing is, Salah, like everyone else, is getting older, and new players keep emerging. What’s clear is that what Salah has done for Liverpool is something very few players will ever do, in terms of goals, influence and leadership.

“I think he can still have an impact, but probably not as much as he did in the past. That said, many players become legends because of everything they’ve done and because of what they contribute to the team from a different role, and Salah could be one of them.

“I’m thinking, for example, of Griezmann, a player we don’t see in the starting XI every week, but who has a secondary role and accepts it well.

“If Salah accepts something similar, he’ll surely still be important for Liverpool as they are now. What I don’t know is whether he’ll be happy with that role or whether he’ll want to look for another project where he can be the leader.”

Liverpool spent big in the summer to reconfigure their forward line with £125million Alexander Isak, £116m Wirtz and £79m Hugo Ekitike all arriving.

And Morientes - who scored 12 goals in 61 appearances for Liverpool - hasn't been surprised by the initial struggles to hit the ground running.

Speaking to the ECHO on behalf of Casino.org, he added: "They’ve signed players by simply spending huge amounts of money, but that doesn’t automatically tell you which buttons to press to make everything work.

“Football is very unpredictable and sometimes the more you spend, the less you get in return. So far, the players haven’t adapted well.

“As a group, they haven’t really clicked either, and that’s why Liverpool are struggling so much at the moment. I don’t see them as clear contenders to win the Premier League, and I also find it hard to see them as genuine Champions League contenders.

“However, they do have something others don’t: those signings they made because of their talent could, at any moment, suddenly explode and completely change the team’s momentum. I see it as difficult, but it could happen."

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