<strong>Mohamed Salah</strong> Labeled a Exemplary Pro Following Omission from Starting XI - Liverpool Boss

Reds head coach Arne Slot praised forward Mohamed Salah for his exemplary conduct after being dropped to the bench.

The move was made amid a poor run of nine unsuccessful results in 12 games across every tournament.

It represented the initial occasion Salah had been left out of a top-flight starting XI since last April, in the era of Slot's predecessor, Jurgen Klopp.

Salah, who represents Egypt, last season's Premier League Golden Boot winner, has found the net just four goals in the top flight during the current campaign.

Slot stated it was a "fair assumption" that Salah was disappointed about not getting onto the pitch at London Stadium.

"This is a understandable feeling from a player with his quality to play for us, and that's an understatement because he has been exceptionally brilliant for this club for so many years and remains so for the future," commented Slot.

"Others felt the same who was disappointed that he didn't begin the game and that is normal."

Slot went on to say that Salah "responded in a mature manner" despite being dropped.

"He is so disciplined - he knows what to do to stay fit," Slot emphasized.

"Irrespective of he plays well or if he doesn't, if he plays or doesn't play, he will consistently remain that model professional and he demonstrated this in the last two days.

"In any athlete's career globally, there are also stages in your time at a club where they show humanity. He's scored so many goals for us and I am sure he will going forward."

Afcon Commitment Approaches

Slot confirmed that Liverpool will be missing their star forward from December 15th, when he heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations.

"It is imperative we devise a method to play without him because we will lack him," Slot stated.

At the moment, the reigning title holders sit in eighth place in the table, nine points behind leaders Arsenal.

They face Sunderland on Wednesday prior to Saturday's trip to Leeds, a side currently in the drop zone.

Analysis: Missing Games

If the schedule holds, Salah's final appearance before departing is expected to be the mid-December match versus Brighton.

Should Egypt reach the tournament's climax, then Salah is unlikely to be back until January 19th at the earliest.

That outcome would mean he missed a potential seven fixtures, among them a key match against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on 8 January.

While Slot refused to say whether he would omit Salah again over the coming weeks, he acknowledged the player was frustrated after the bench role at London Stadium.