Mohamed Salah hints at final season with Liverpool; Ten Hag says Man Utd must 'build a new team'

Sept. 2, 2024, 7:49 a.m.

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Mohamed Salah hinted that this might be his last season with Liverpool after scoring his 15th goal against Manchester United in a decisive 3-0 victory for the visiting team at Old Trafford on Sunday. Salah's contract at Anfield is set to expire in less than a year, and he stated that no discussions have taken place regarding an extension.

The Egyptian has made a lasting impact on the English club, scoring an impressive 214 goals since joining in 2017.

Advertisement “I had a good summer and had a long time to myself to try to stay positive because as you know it’s my last year at the club,” Salah told Sky Sports. “I just want to enjoy it and I don’t want to think about it. I feel like I’m free to play football and then we’ll see what happens next year.”

Salah provided two assists for Luis Diaz before adding to his impressive record as the top scorer in clashes between United and Liverpool, finding the back of the net for the seventh consecutive game at Old Trafford.

“To be fair I was coming to the game, it could be the last time (playing at Old Trafford),” he said.

“Nobody in the club has talked to me about contracts. It is not up to me, it is up to the club.”

Salah signed a three-year deal in 2022 that reportedly made him the highest paid player in the club’s history, worth more than £18 million ($24 million) a year.

However, he has been persistently linked with a lucrative transfer to the Saudi Pro League.

Last year, Liverpool reportedly turned down a £150 million offer from Al-Ittihad.

Mo Salah is inevitable against Man Utd 😪

He scored the third goal in @LFC's 3-0 win at Old Trafford#MUNLIV #TheKickOff pic.twitter.com/jHyJiCpefE

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 1, 2024 Advertisement The 32-year-old is just one of three major Liverpool players out of contract at the end of the season, along with captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

On the pitch, however, things are going well for the Reds, as new manager Arne Slot has made a smooth transition into the challenging role of replacing Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool have secured victories in their first three Premier League matches without letting in a goal, placing them second in the league standings behind Manchester City, only separated by goal difference.

“It’s a great result. Everyone knows it’s very important for the city and for the fans – and for the manager with his first game in here,” added Salah.

Advertisement “We’re so happy for the result. If you want to fight for the league this is the sort of game you need to win. I’m glad we managed to win it.

“The manager likes us to press high. We scored from all those situations.

“There’s not a big difference from Jurgen at the start and in time we’ve changed the system a little with the way we play. We’re adapting.”

Slot refuses to speak on Salah

Slot refused to be drawn on whether this will definitely be Salah’s farewell season and how the Reds can possibly go around replacing him.

“It’s a lot of if, but for the moment he is one of ours, and I’m really, really happy with him being one of ours,” said Slot.

Advertisement “I don’t talk about contracts in front of players, but I can talk for hours about how well he played today.”

Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag said he is no “Harry Potter” to magic up quick fixes for Manchester United after a demoralising home defeat.

Ten Hag under pressure at United

The Dutch manager is already facing pressure just three matches into the new Premier League season after also suffering a 2-1 defeat at Brighton last weekend.

A shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May helped keep Ten Hag in his job despite finishing eighth last season – United’s lowest ever Premier League finish.

The former Ajax manager was even awarded a contract renewal and given a £200 million ($262 million) budget for new players during the transfer window.

Advertisement But hope of a new dawn has not lasted at Old Trafford as Liverpool strolled to victory in Arne Slot’s first major test since replacing Jurgen Klopp.

“It’s not like I’m Harry Potter, that is what you have to acknowledge,” Ten Hag said in his post-match press conference.

“We just had a third game in the season, again we have to build a new team.

“We will build this new team, we have young players, also we have now players to build in the season. Today we had two or three players that didn’t start of the season and they didn’t play 90 minutes.

Liverpool supporters are chanting “Ten Hag’s at the wheel” 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/5mv3eGWjKD

— Watch LFC (@Watch_LFC) September 1, 2024 “We will be fine. It’s clear we have to improve, but at the end of the season I’m quite confident that we will have a big chance to lift another trophy.”

In one of the most glaring hallmarks of United’s struggles last season, Casemiro was the fall guy for Liverpool’s first two goals.

The Brazilian lost possession twice before Luis Diaz scored, and the five-time Champions League winner was substituted at halftime by 20-year-old Toby Collyer.

“I think that in football everyone has to take responsibility,” added Ten Hag on whether he can continued to field Casemiro given the five-time Champions League winner’s decline.

“He’s a great character. He has won everything in his career. I’m sure he will keep contributing to our team.

“Casemiro is always winning, so he will be there.”

United haven't mounted a genuine challenge for the Premier League title since the retirement of legendary former manager Alex Ferguson 11 years ago.

With a six-point gap to Liverpool and reigning champions City, a strong fight for other trophies seems to be the best they can hope for this season.

“It hurts, especially for our fans,” said Ten Hag.

“We have to be humble, we have to give the compliments to Liverpool and we have to move on.”