Arne Slot has dropped a major hint about his surprising Mo Salah decision ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Sunderland

Arne Slot has suggested he might keep Mo Salah on the bench again when Liverpool meet Sunderland next week.

Liverpool face Regis Le Bris’ in-form Sunderland side in the Premier League next Wednesday, as they chase back-to-back league wins for the first time since September, following victories over Burnley and Everton.

Salah could remain on the bench vs Sunderland

After Liverpool’s return to winning ways against Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham, Slot hinted that Salah may not walk straight back into the starting XI.

“We’ve played a lot of matches. Four games in ten days. These players have real quality,” the 47-year-old told BBC MOTD (via BBC Sport).

“Mo has been massive for this club and will continue to be, so let’s see what happens on Wednesday.”

It would certainly be a surprising decision, especially after the Egyptian was already left out of the starting lineup in the 2–0 win over West Ham.

Still, Salah’s absence didn’t hurt Liverpool’s performance. Florian Wirtz found spaces well, and the team produced more than enough chances to comfortably earn the victory.

Liverpool’s stats vs West Ham:

• 1.26 xG

• 5 shots on target

• 3 big chances created

• 2 big chances missed

• 20 touches in the opposition box

(Premier League, via FotMob)

Slot considering a rare Liverpool selection gamble

Seeing Salah left out for two straight competitive matches is almost unheard of.

The last time he missed back-to-back Premier League starts was in the 2023/24 season — and that was due to injury, not a tactical decision from Jurgen Klopp.

To be clear, Liverpool’s win at the London Stadium wasn’t simply because Salah didn’t start.

We’d welcome his return to the lineup against Sunderland, but given how disappointing the 2025/26 season has been — and with growing doubts around Slot’s future — a statement decision might not be the worst idea.

And there aren’t many bigger statements than benching one of Liverpool’s greatest modern players.