Jamie Carragher did not mince his words when he spoke out on Mohamed Salah's explosive interview last weekend.
Salah was left on the bench for Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United last Saturday - the third time in a row he has been named among the substitutes - and responded in explosive fashion, claiming the club have made him a scapegoat for their poor form and saying they have 'thrown him under the bus'.
The Egyptian forward also added that 'Tomorrow Carragher is going to go for me again and again and thats fine', referencing the Sky Sports pundit's recent criticism of him, and Carragher did indeed have his say on Monday Night Football.
'If Liverpool won something and he didn't score, he would be disappointed'
The former Liverpool and England defender did not hold back, calling Salah's interview 'a disgrace' and accusing him of trying to get under-pressure Reds boss Arne Slot sacked.
But Carragher then used his platform as a pundit on CBS Sports' Champions League coverage 24 hours later to apologise to Salah, saying: 'Mo, I apologise, I've upset you. I love you as the Liverpool player, but you just need to behave yourself off the pitch.'
And in this exclusive interview with FourFourTwo in 2022, Carragher shed more light on his true feelings towards Salah, who has scored 250 goals in 420 appearances for Liverpool and won two Premier League titles at Anfield.
Carragher said: 'He just wants to have the absolute best career he can possibly have and I dont think theres anything selfish about that.
'But in terms of people saying hes selfish? Look how many goals he creates. Its not just the goals this season, theres only one player in Trent Alexander-Arnold whos seemed to create more than him this season, too.
'That shows his role and a lot of players, like Thierry Henry, will get goals and assists from their role. That what makes these players so special and I dont categorise Salah as just a goalscorer because he helps his team so much.
'It always feels to me that Salah is one those that even if Liverpool won something and he didnt score, he would be disappointed: he wants to score every game. I dont think (Sadio) Mane has that mentality and Im not saying thats a good or a bad thing.
'I only really notice Salahs supposed selfishness late in games: its where Mo hasnt scored and were on the 75-minute mark, he becomes desperate to score every time he plays.
'I dont think a goal is the be-all and end-all for (Sadio) Mane, hes more bothered about his performance. But you know for Mo, its all about the goals and thats what drives him on.
'Would I have been able to keep him quiet as a defender? Well I couldnt keep Thierry Henry quiet, so I dont think Id have been able to keep Mo Salah quiet!'
In FourFourTwo's view, these quotes suggest there is more nuance to Carragher's view of Salah than his outburst on Monday Night Football suggests, with the former defender not necessarily perceiving the Liverpool talisman's 'selfishness' as totally negative.
TOPICS
