talkSPORT host Gabby Agbonlahor has criticized Jurgen Klopp for his treatment of Mohamed Salah during Liverpool’s match against West Ham.
The German opted to leave his star man on the bench after a poor display in the Merseyside derby for the trip to east London, bringing him on for the final 12 minutes of the match.
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Just before he arrived, West Ham equalized through Michail Antonio to make it 2-2, leaving the Reds dropping more points in their quest for the Premier League title.
Klopp could then be seen lashing out at Salah, who responded in a short but lively conversation.
After the match, neither man wanted to talk about what happened, although Klopp assured that everything was sorted.
However, Agbonlahor believes Salah had every reason to be annoyed.
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Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “I think it comes from Salah. Salah is not a replacement.
“You can put Salah on the bench if you rotate. But Salah has scored 210 goals and made 86 assists for Liverpool.
“A game against West Ham is tough, you don’t give him 12 minutes. That’s probably what he was saying on the sidelines. ’12 minutes, come on, my name is Salah, you wouldn’t have a trophy without me ,’ Jürgen.
“They wouldn’t have won any trophies without Salah. He has been incredible for this football club. Where is the respect?”
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It was a strange situation and one wouldn’t expect it to be seen in public.
Salah and Klopp are Liverpool legends for what they did at Anfield, but it’s clear the pressure of the title race is taking its toll on them.
Of course, the German won’t be at Liverpool next season, with Arne Slot looking set to replace Klopp.
Meanwhile, Salah’s future is very uncertain and Agbonlahor believes incidents like this could hasten his departure.
He said: “Klopp is now causing problems for the Liverpool team next season. [by] upset the players.
“There is talk of Salah leaving. Could this affect Salah now?
“You have to win a game in a title challenge, and you give your star player 12 minutes, so you can’t blame him on the sidelines.
“I think Klopp was wrong to disrespect Salah.”
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The draw against the Hammers means Liverpool have won just one of their last five league matches and hopes of a second top-flight title under Klopp are dashed.
The last few months have been difficult for the Reds, who have seen their hopes of four trophies disappear.
Clearly, the pressure is on everyone associated with Liverpool, including Salah and Klopp.
