What next for Salah and Liverpool?

Mohamed Salah was one of the first players out of the Liverpool dressing room after Sunday’s win at Nottingham Forest.

Asked if he was keen to speak, the Egypt striker kindly declined and smiled as he made his way through the mixed zone and on to the team bus. No need to stop when you’re starting.

It is now more than two months since Salah’s explosive mixed-zone interview at Leeds United, when he claimed the club had thrown him under the bus after he was left out of the starting XI for the third game in a row.

Regardless of what people thought, it has worked to some degree for him.

Liverpool’s injury problems have certainly played a part too, and since coming back from the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in January, the 33-year-old has started every game for Liverpool. Before Afcon, manager Arne Slot did not start him for five consecutive games.

Those close to the situation insist a statement on his social media channels was considered as an option instead of the interview at Leeds, but such was Salah’s anger at the way he felt he had been treated that he wanted to come out all guns blazing.

“I don’t know why but it seems to me that someone doesn’t want me in the club,” said Salah at Elland Road.

In the week after, he apologised to his team-mates, shook hands with Slot, and the Liverpool boss insisted there was no a longer an issue to be resolved. Salah headed to Afcon where he thrived.

One member of the Egypt national team setup told BBC Sport that it was the happiest they had seen Salah – who described it as “the best camp” of his life.

On his return to Liverpool he went straight back into the team, and after Liverpool beat Brighton in the FA Cup this month – a game in which he claimed a goal and an assist – Slot made a point of highlighting Salah’s off-the-ball work.

“What I like the most is he is scoring goals [which you] almost expect – but he also helps the team a lot defensively and that is something very positive,” said Slot.

In terms of winning possession back across the pitch and the final third, Salah has improved compared with last season.

He has two goals and four assists in those eight games since his return, yet for a man who has grown accustomed to the extraordinary, the key metric is where he is lacking.

You have to go back to November for his last Premier League goal, and if he does not score against West Ham at Anfield on Saturday (15:00 GMT), it will be 10 games without a goal in the top flight. This is already the longest drought of his Premier League career.

“He sets his own standards and those are so, so high that the moment he doesn’t score for a few games, people are immediately surprised. That’s probably the biggest compliment he can get,” said Slot on Friday.

Salah is indeed a victim of his own standards and as such, his drop-off has been felt dearly. He averages 0.56 goals and assists per league game this season compared with 1.25 last season, when he scored the most goals and registered the most assists. In essence, his attacking output has more than halved.

He is also taking fewer shots and having fewer touches in the opposition box, while his xG (expected goals) per 90 minutes has halved from 0.68 to 0.34.

Nevertheless, the overall attacking numbers are still decent. Salah has more goal involvements (10) in the league than the likes of Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka, and only Hugo Ekitike (12) has more for Liverpool.

Slot’s side are still in the FA Cup and Champions League and the reality is they possess a stronger chance of winning silverware and qualifying for next season’s Champions League with Salah.

This week, his Liverpool team-mate Milos Kerkez posted a picture of Salah’s trophy cabinet. The joke on social media was that Salah collects player of the match awards like you would get them out of a vending machine.

There is little doubt about his legacy as one of the greats for Liverpool and in Premier League history. He stands clear with 283 goal involvements in the top flight. Staggering for a man initially dubbed by some as a one-season wonder.

If he does see out his contract until the summer of 2027, he may well surpass Roger Hunt and go second in Liverpool’s list of all-time goalscorers. Salah currently has 252, trailing Hunt (285) and Ian Rush (346).

But BBC Sport understands a summer departure is increasingly likely. That ultimately depends on genuine interest and whether Salah’s wage demands can be met. Saudi Arabia and the USA are possible options and Liverpool will not want him to leave on a free transfer next year.

If so, the long goodbye has perhaps already begun. As shown by the overwhelmingly positive reaction when he came on at Anfield against Brighton in December, a week after his outburst, Salah will always be adored in these parts.

It is worth noting that he and his family are settled in the north west and admire the British way of life.

Deep down, perhaps only Salah really knows if this chapter is coming to an end. For now, he is still smiling and happy to be back where he feels he belongs – starting matches for Liverpool.