Liverpool manager Arne Slot insisted that Mohamed Salah has shown no signs of being distracted by his potential exit from the club next summer.
After Sunday's win at Southampton, which took Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, Salah told reporters that he was disappointed that he had yet to receive an offer from the club for a new contract.
The 32-year-old Egyptian's deal runs out at the end of this season, which would mean Salah can leave on a free transfer, and he admitted that he now felt “more out than in” at the club he joined from Roma in 2017.
Despite the end of his spell on Merseyside appearing closer than ever, Salah's form has been superb this season, scoring 12 goals and set up a further 10 for teammates across competitions.
And, speaking ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash with reigning European champions Real Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday, manager Slot paid tribute to the attacker's focus despite the constant background noise over his future.
“I don't think he's distracted at all,” said the Dutch coach, whose team take on reigning Premier League champions Manchester City four days after facing their La Liga equivalent at Anfield.
“I haven't seen that after the [Manchester] United game where he had some comments, I haven't seen it after a post you told me about, he just kept on scoring. I haven't seen anything today, he is just fully focused on the game tomorrow.
“If you would have been at the AXA [training ground] today, I don't think any player spoke about it, at least not when I was there. Players are focused on the short-term and that is Madrid and that is City.
“By the time Mo's contract is extended, players don't look at it that way. There is no distraction for him, the players and definitely not for me.”
Salah's teammate Andrew Robertson was similarly supportive when asked about Salah, who remains closely linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.
“All I can say is you look at Mo today, you look at Mo yesterday and he is the ultimate professional,” said the Scotland full-back.
“It is the same for all three of them, Mo, Virgil [van Dijk] and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] who are all in similar positions – every one of them is focused on the next game and training and preparing properly.
“They have been leaders this year. They aren't getting distracted and we are excited for the game tomorrow night.”
When asked if Salah was showing any adverse affects from the doubts about his future, Robertson added: “He didn't look sad to me. Mo comes into training every day with a smile on his face. He is in the gym working as hard as ever and on the training pitch working as hard as ever.
“In terms of that, he's one of the happiest people at the training ground. If you can find me a picture where he looks sad then fair enough but I think he looks happy at all times.
“He's such a focused individual that he will be focused on tomorrow night. That's what all good players do, that's what the best in the world do and he certainly falls into that category.”
Liverpool go into Wednesday's match at Anfield top of the Champions League having won all four of their matches so far, the only perfect record left out of all 36 teams.
Real are down in 18th place, having won two and lost two of the games, but enjoyed a 3-0 victory over Leganes at the weekend that closed the gap on La Liga-topping Barcelona to four points.
And Slot knows taking on the 15-time European champions will be a major test of his team's credentials after an impressive start to the campaign that sees Liverpool top of the league domestically and in Europe.
“It is a very difficult thing [to beat Real] not only for Liverpool but every club that has played them in Europe because they can win in so many different styles and so many different ways,” said Slot, who revealed that right-back Alexander-Arnold is in the squad but will not be available to start.
“That's why they have won the competition so many times because they can win and be really dominant but if it's a difficult game they always find a way to win or go to the next round and that's what makes them special.”
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
More on Quran memorisation:
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
TEAMS
EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson
USA:
Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau ( 1 TBC)
