Alan Shearer believes Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah is right to be ‘hunchbacked’ to be sidelined by Jurgen Klopp after their intense exchange on the touchline.
The Reds were eager to bounce back against West Ham after a painful midweek defeat in the Merseyaspect derby and Klopp left Salah on the bench to get his tired side back into form.
When Liverpool took a 2-1 lead midway through the second half at the London Stadium on Saturday, Michail Antonio ended his sluggish hopes of winning the Premier League by heading home to West Ham with thirteen minutes remaining.
Salah waited for Antonio’s goal and engaged in a heated verbal exchange with Klopp.
It ended with compatriot Darwin Nunez being forced to fend off teammate Salah before entering the fray, but they may not find a backward winner in the capital.
Liverpool manager Klopp tried to play down the post-game discussion: “We’ve already spoken in the dressing room. For me, it’s done.
READ MORE: Liverpool will have to ‘sell’ Salah with ‘unfairly cancelled’ position to ‘some strategic signings’ away from greatness
But Salah reignited speculation after refusing to speak to reporters, saying: “There will be a fire if I speak. “
And former Newcastle United striker Shearer believes “it’s a shame” that Klopp and Salah’s time together at Liverpool ended on a sour note.
“We don’t know what Klopp said there, he said anything he didn’t like,” Shearer said in the day’s attack. “Clearly, he has a smart chance of being excluded and probably rightly so. Even if he didn’t reach the heights achieved through Mo Salah over the years, he has been incredible.
“Ignore Jürgen, give the Liverpool fans a little applause and go straight into the tunnel, but we can guess what Jürgen said to him. I see if Mo has the right hump because of the number of times he’s been Liverpool’s saviour and Liverpool’s superstar.
“He has 17 in 25 league starts. Anyone else would have seen this and thought it amazing. It’s a shame that it ends up like this.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabthrough Agbonlahor also criticised Salah, insisting that Klopp showed the Egyptian foreigner a lack of respect towards West Ham.
Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: “I think it comes from Salah.
“You can put Salah on the bench if you rotate. But Salah scored 210 and provided 86 assists for Liverpool.
“A game against West Ham is tough, you don’t give them 12 minutes. That’s probably what it says in the margin. “12 minutes, come on, my call-up is Salah, you wouldn’t have a trophy without me, Jurgen. “
“They wouldn’t have won any trophies without Salah. Where’s the respect?
Agbonlahor added: “Klopp is now provoking Liverpool next season by provoking the players.
“There is communication about Salah’s departure. Could it be Salah now?
“You have to win a game in a name challenge and you give your star player 12 minutes, so you can’t blame him on the bench.
“I, Klopp, made a mistake by disrespecting Salah. “