Reds legend Robbie Fowler says that talk of a spat between forwards Mo Salah and Sadio Mane is the biggest nonsense he has ever heard, stating that the pair get on absolutely fine and there is no problem to be concerned about.
During the game against Burnley before the international break, Mane was visibly upset that Salah had not passed the ball to him late on in the game, but the Egyptian simply made the wrong choice in the moment – nothing more than that.
Fowler says – rightly – that Salah will always look to shoot himself first, as shown by his goalscoring record, and that he would not have the time mid-game to consider not passing to boost his own ego over letting Mane score.
He told the Daily Mirror: “I’ve honestly never heard such nonsense as the stuff that has surrounded this so-called spat between Mane and Salah.
“Everyone commenting and talking nonsense about being ‘greedy’ or destroying team spirit – have they never watched football before? You can’t be a top-class goalscorer without total belief you will score.
“Look at Salah’s record – he’s going to keep doing it. You don’t score that many goals without being what people say is selfish. What the hell do people want? Do they want him to be a goalscorer or to be someone who’s always looking to pass? You can’t have both.
“The other nonsense I’ve heard is people saying he’s not passing because he’s jealous – he doesn’t want Mane to score. If anyone can slow down the game so much they have time to think, ‘Oh, I’m not passing to him because he’s scored more than me’, well they’re the best who’s ever played.”
Fowler has pretty much nailed the situation: no doubt, it will be brought up again when the Reds return to Premier League action against Newcastle United next Saturday, but there is no need to be concerned about a rift.
Jordan Henderson said at the time that the pair were laughing and joking inside the dressing room immediately post-match, and you would not bet against Salah assisting a Mane goal next weekend, which would hopefully end the discussion surrounding the incident.