Goodbye - but only for now? Salah signs off as questions remain

Mohamed Salah took everything in at full-time of Liverpool's 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton, applauding all four sides of Anfield while home fans serenaded their Egyptian king' with his familiar song.

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By the time he reached the tunnel he was the last player on the pitch, giving a little wave towards the main stand, where his family were sat.

A goodbye perhaps? Only for now, it seems.

Salah will join Egypt in Cairo over the coming days as they prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations - but the message after manager Arne Slot's post-match news conference was clear.

A line has been drawn when it comes to team selection.

"There is no issue for me to resolve," said Slot. "For me, he is now the same as any other player. There is nothing for me to talk about after what happened against Leeds."

In his outburst at Elland Road last Saturday - where he claimed to have been "thrown under the bus" by the club and had no relationship with his Dutch boss - Salah said this game against Brighton could well be his farewell.

Having been left out of the squad for the midweek Champions League win at Inter Milan, he came off the bench against the Seagulls as a 26th-minute replacement for the injured Joe Gomez.

And the expectation now is very much that the 33-year-old will return to Liverpool next month after international duty.

Talks are still planned between both parties while Salah is away but, a week on from his emotional interview at Leeds, he was all smiles in the mixed zone at Anfield as he walked past the media and was asked for a chat.

"Two weeks in a row? No, no," joked Salah.