Dominic Szoboszlai says he speaks to Mohamed Salah “almost every day” during his time at the Africa Cup of Nations, but refuses to speculate on the Egypt forward’s future at Liverpool.
Salah’s inclusion in Liverpool’s squad for Wednesday’s Champions League tie in Marseille will be confirmed on Tuesday.
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The 33-year-old said in a bombshell interview that his relationship with manager Arne Slaughter had broken down and there was uncertainty over his future as a result, but Szoboszlai would not reveal the striker’s situation.
“It’s between me and him. He will come back and then we move on. It’s a decision between the manager and the club,” the 25-year-old said.
Asked if he had had much contact with Salah since his departure from Merseyside on December 15, Szoboszlai added: “Yeah, almost every day to be honest. We talk about everything. I’m following him and I guess he’s following me. We talk a lot.”
Slott said last week he was “delighted” with Salah’s return and Saturday’s draw against Burnley showed why.
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Liverpool had 32 shots, 11 of which were on target, but only scored once despite having an xG of 2.95. Szoboszlai also missed a penalty.
“For the first time we defended well in the low block and created a lot of chances,” said the Hungarian attacking midfielder.
“We had a lot of people in the box, we had crosses and shots. That was our goal against Marseille, but they didn’t defend low – they tried to attack from the back and we have to be ready for that as well.”
Szoboszlai also defended himself against accusations of “disrespect” by Barnsley manager Connor Hourihane during last week’s FA Cup tie.
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The Liverpool midfielder tried to backheel deep into his own area during Barnsley’s goal, something Hourihane said Szoboszlai would not try against a bigger club.
“It’s been a tough week for me personally,” Szoboszlai said. “I made a mistake against Barnsley but I have to make it clear it was no disrespect and I will do the same thing against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.
“I don’t want to give it back to George [Mamardashvili]. I tried to pretend I was replaying it. Then I missed a penalty against Burnley but I’ll keep going, I’ll take the next penalty and I’ll score – I’m sure of it. “
Szoboszlai’s miss on Saturday was his second in 22 penalty attempts but he is happy to continue in the role without Salah.
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“Yes, once against the post and now against the crossbar,” added Szoboszlai, who revealed talks are underway over a new contract, with his current contract expiring in 2028.
“The next one is already in. If he [Salah] After returning, he was the first penalty kick taker.
“He would give me some advice on what to think when you miss because he had missed a few times and he forgot what happened.”
