Arne Slot issues Mohamed Salah exit clarification ahead of Liverpool and Man City FA Cup clash

His form has dropped off this season, however, while he's also clashed with Slot behind the scenes.

The 33-year-old announced recently that he'd be leaving Liverpool for a new challenge, with many European clubs - including Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain - being linked.

And Slot says he goes with his blessing, while also shedding light on why Salah's bombshell announcement didn't come as a surprise to him.

"I knew, so it wasn't new news to me, but I think it was very good to hear and see all the reactions of his teammates, but also from everywhere around the world, for what he has done for this football club and for football in general," he said ahead of Saturday's FA Cup showdown with Manchester City.

"Hopefully he can make his legacy even more special in the upcoming weeks and months where we still play for something special.

"But he will always leave this club as a legend because, as I said, the way this club has performed in the last seasons is also for a large part due to what he's done for it.

"And then when I started working with him, I don't know if it was his best season in terms of numbers, but it was an impressive season because he had the most goals and the most assists and I don't know if that has happened much with him, let alone with any player in the Premier League.

"He will definitely leave as a legend of this club."

Slot also revealed how Salah had shocked him.

"He broke record after record after record," he said.

"Then I started working with him and already the first day I was impressed by his professionalism because as with any season, it starts with a test that shows how much they did in the off-season and he beat all of them.

"He was the fittest player that came back and I think that's the ideal situation that you want as a manager: that your star player comes back as fit as he did.

"He had nothing to prove, but for himself he had a lot to prove because Mo always thinks he has to prove something every three days.

"That hunger never stops and that is something that I find most special about him.

"Everything he's done for the club, but the moment I started working with him I knew it after one day, let alone after a few weeks or months, that it isn't a coincidence that he's been so influential in the last 10 years in football."

Salah will be hoping to fire Liverpool past City on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's men will be favourites, however, having defeated Arsenal in the final of the Carabao Cup last time out.