Arne Slot has hinted that Mo Salah may once again start on the bench when Liverpool take on Sunderland next week.
Liverpool travel to face Regis Le Bris’ high-flying Sunderland side next Wednesday, hoping to secure back-to-back league victories for the first time since September after recent wins over Burnley and Everton.
Salah could stay benched vs Sunderland
Following Liverpool’s solid 2–0 win over Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham, Slot suggested that Salah’s return to the starting XI isn’t guaranteed.
Speaking to BBC MOTD (via BBC Sport), the Liverpool boss said:
“We’ve played a lot of matches. Four games in ten days. These players have real quality.
Mo has been massive for this club and will continue to be, so let’s see what happens on Wednesday.”
The idea of Salah being benched again would raise eyebrows — especially since he was already left out against West Ham.
But Liverpool coped well without him. Florian Wirtz exploited space brilliantly, and the team created more than enough chances to win comfortably.
Liverpool vs West Ham stats
(Premier League, via FotMob)
- 1.26 xG
- 5 shots on target
- 3 big chances created
- 2 big chances missed
- 20 touches in the opposition box
Slot weighing up a bold Liverpool selection call
It’s extremely rare to see Salah omitted from two consecutive competitive matches. The last time he missed back-to-back Premier League starts was in 2023/24 — and that was due to injury, not tactics.
To be clear, Liverpool didn’t win because Salah was benched.
But with a turbulent 2025/26 season and uncertainty surrounding Slot’s future, a strong message to the squad isn’t out of the question.
And few decisions make a bigger statement than sidelining one of Liverpool’s greatest modern players.
