Paul Scholes has launched a scathing assessment of Mohamed Salah amid a dip in form, describing the Liverpool forward as “ugly” on the ball.
Salah was dropped from the starting XI for Liverpool’s 5–1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek, as manager Arne Slot opted to bench the Egyptian after a string of underwhelming performances, including the 2–1 defeat to Manchester United.
Liverpool dominated in their third UEFA Champions League match this season. The Reds played away from home and saw Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Cody Gakpo, and Dominik Szoboszlai all getting on the scoresheet. However, Salah made little impact after coming on for the final 15 minutes.
The winger’s most notable moment came when he opted for a tight-angled shot instead of squaring the ball for Florian Wirtz, who was in position for what would’ve been his first Liverpool goal.
On the Stick to Football podcast, Ian Wright pointed to the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid as a key reason for Salah’s dip, arguing that the Egyptian has lost a vital creative link.
Without Trent to release him early, Salah looks like a passenger. That phase where he’s free, where he needs someone to hit him instantly, that’s gone.
But it was Scholes who delivered the most brutal verdict. The former Manchester United midfielder criticised Salah’s technical execution, even during his best performances.
Even when he was scoring, he looked ugly at times, the ball bouncing off his legs, scuffed touches. He does some of the worst things you’ll ever see from a forward. And now that he’s not scoring, Slot will have no choice but to leave him out. He can be the worst, best footballer in the world.
Salah has struggled to replicate his usual output for Liverpool since the beginning of the current season, which saw him attract a barrage of criticism. The debate around his role under Arne Slot continues to grow, with Liverpool preparing to face Brentford on Saturday.