Liverpool: Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed he has not spoken to Mohamed Salah since the forward's public outburst against the club, beyond informing him of his exclusion from the Champions League squad against Inter Milan.

Salah was left out of the 19-player travelling party to Italy for Tuesday's match, despite appearing upbeat at training earlier. "We let him know that he's not travelling with us. So that was the only communication that's been there from us to him," Slot stated during Monday's pre-match press conference amid intense questioning about Salah.

Slot described Salah's reaction as "a short one." The Egyptian star had vented frustration Saturday after being benched for the third consecutive game, declaring it "seems like the club has thrown me under a bus" and that he shares "no relationship" with Slot.

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The Dutch coach responded: "That's not the way I feel, but he has the right to feel how he feels things. I haven't felt that at all until Saturday evening, for sure, because I think when I didn't play him anymore, usually players don't like the manager then that much, but he was very respectful to my staff members, to his teammates, and he trained really hard."

Slot called the comments surprising but unsurprising for a sidelined player, adding: "But it's not the first and not the last time that when a player doesn't play — I'm not sure if he was emotional or not — he says something similar to what he did. But I think my reaction to that is also clear, and that's that he's not here with us tonight."

A two-time Premier League champion and Champions League winner over eight trophy-filled years at Anfield, Salah extended his contract in April. He heads to the Africa Cup of Nations this month ahead of January's transfer window.

Slot insisted the episode does not preclude Salah's future at the club, stating: "I'm a firm believer that there's always a possibility to return for a player."

With inputs from AP