Salah casts doubt over Liverpool future, but ´wants to enjoy´ last year of contract

Mohamed Salah has just one year left on his Liverpool contract, but is not thinking too deeply about his future just yet.

Salah has started the Premier League season with two goals in as many games, and also provided an assist for Diogo Jota’s strike against Ipswich Town.

Liverpool have won both of their top-tier matches under new boss Arne Slot, though the Dutchman faces his biggest task as Reds boss so far when his team face Manchester United on Sunday.

With Salah in sharp form, Liverpool will fancy their chances at Old Trafford, though Sunday’s clash may ultimately be the Egypt international’s final match at Old Trafford.

Salah is out of contract at the end of the season, and while he has no concrete plans over his future, says for now his intention is to enjoy the last year of his deal.

“Before the season, I was just like ‘I’ve got one year left, let’s just enjoy it and don’t think about the contract’,” Salah told Sky Sports.

“I don’t want to think about next year or the future, I just want to enjoy the last year [of my contract] and let’s see.

“The most important thing is to take one day at a time and just be grateful to be here.”

Looking ahead to the United clash, Salah added: “I’m excited for [Sunday’s game], we play United and usually we don’t play them that early but yes it’s a big game coming up and we are ready.

“I just focus on the big games and I always want to have the ability to win the game. I don’t go into the game thinking about the records. I just go to the game and enjoy.

“I am trying my best to give everything for the club and the team, sometimes you have luck and sometimes you don’t but I am just enjoying the football.

“It’s a big change [under Slot], we have been with Jurgen Klopp for seven or eight years and now with the new manager there are different things, I enjoyed it before and I am enjoying it now.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United – Marcus Rashford

Rashford has only scored more goals against Leicester City (eight) in all competitions than he has against Liverpool (seven).

All seven of these strikes have come in his 10 appearances against the Reds at Old Trafford.

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

Salah is the highest scoring visiting player to Old Trafford in Premier League history (six goals), while he has netted in each of his last six away games against United in all competitions (nine goals in total).

A deft dink to wrap up victory back in ’09 #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/1OXJO7kH7N

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 29, 2024

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

No team has had more shots than Liverpool in the Premier League this season (37), while the Reds also have the highest expected goals total (5.3) and the lowest expected goals against total (1.0) so far.

Liverpool have won both of their Premier League games 2-0 this season. Twice before have they won each of their first three in a campaign without conceding, doing so in 2013-14 and 2018-19 – they beat United 1-0 on September 1 in the third game in the former.

Since Alex Ferguson retired, United have lost 13 of their 35 Premier League games played in September (W19 D3), only losing more often in May since 2013-14 (15). It’s more defeats than they suffered in the month in 76 games under the Scotsman (W45 D19 L12).

United have won just one of their last 12 Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D5 L6), beating them 2-1 at Old Trafford in their third game of the 2022-23 campaign.

Liverpool have lost just one of their last six Premier League away games against United (W2 D3), while only Manchester City (nine) have won away at Old Trafford more often than the Reds (7) in the competition’s history.

Slot and Erik ten Hag met four times during their time in the Eredivisie – Slot’s AZ beat Ten Hag’s Ajax twice in 2019-20, before ten Hag twice beat Slot’s Feyenoord side in 2021-22. This is the first Premier League game between two Dutch managers since February 2016, when Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea won 2-1 at Ronald Koeman’s Southampton.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Manchester United – 28.2%

Liverpool – 48.4%

Draw – 23.4%