talkSPORT host Gabby Agbonlahor has slated Jurgen Klopp for his treatment of Mohamed Salah in Liverpool’s game against West Ham.
The German elected 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 last 12 minutes of the game.
Just before he came on, West Ham equalised through Michail Antonio to make it 2-2, leading to more dropped points for the Reds in their pursuit of the Premier League title.
Klopp could then be seen having a go at Salah, who responded in a short but heated conversation.
After the game, neither man wanted to talk about what happened, although Klopp assured that everything was sorted.
However, Agbonlahor believes that Salah had every right to be annoyed.
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Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “It think it’s been coming from Salah. Salah’s not a sub.
“You can put Salah on the bench if you are rotating. But Salah has scored 210 goals and has 86 assists for Liverpool.
“A game against West Ham is tough, you don’t give him 12 minutes. That’s what he was probably saying on the sideline. ’12 minutes, come on, I’m Salah, you wouldn’t have a trophy without me, Jurgen’.
“They wouldn’t have won any trophies without Salah. He’s been unbelievable for that football club. Where’s the respect?”
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It was a strange situation and not something you would expect to see in public.
Salah and Klopp are Liverpool legends for what they’ve done at Anfield, but it’s clear the pressure of the title race is getting to 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 thinks incidents like this could accelerate a move away.
He said: “Klopp is causing problems now for Liverpool’s squad next season [by] upsetting players.
“There is talk of Salah leaving. Could this affect Salah now?
“You need to win a game in a title challenge, and you are giving your star player 12 minutes, so you can’t blame him on the sideline.
“I think Klopp’s got that wrong, disrespecting Salah.”
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That draw against the Hammers means Liverpool have won just one of their last five league games, and hopes of a second top-flight title under Klopp slip away.
It’s been a bruising few months for the Reds, who have seen hopes of four trophies disappear.
Clearly, the pressure is getting to everyone associated with Liverpool, including Salah and Klopp.