Steven Gerrard has revealed that he advised Mohamed Salah not to leave Liverpool “under a cloud” following the Egyptian's public disputes with manager Arne Slot and insists leaving is “for the good of all”.
Salah announced last week that he will leave Anfield in the summer after agreeing to terminate his contract a year early.
The 33-year-old has endured a difficult season and claimed during a post-match interview in December that Slot had “thrown him under the bus” after leaving him on the bench amid a poor run of results.
Former Reds captain Gerrard believes the time is right for Salah, who has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for the club, to leave at the end of the campaign.
“I spoke to him in that interview at the time and I said, 'Don't do what you've done and be left under a cloud,'” Gerrard said, speaking on The Overlap podcast.
“I talked to him directly. He texts me from time to time, or I text him, more like if I'm going somewhere with Lio.” [Gerrard’s son]just so Lio can see him, really, but I'm not very close to him.
“But it gave me the opportunity to tell him, 'Look, you've been here eight, nine years, you've been king here, you have this legacy, just follow your terms, the right way.'
“I was still a bit emotional about the incident. He was in and out of the team at the time, I was upset. I thought it would be a shame if he left in January and he just left.” [without a goodbye]”.
Reds head coach Slot said on Wednesday that Salah will “leave the club as a legend” having won two Premier League titles and the Champions League since arriving from Roma in 2017.
Gerrard believes the striker will eventually regret his explosive interview, which followed being an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw at Leeds on December 6.
Asked if he was surprised by the news of Salah's impending departure, the 45-year-old replied: “No, not at all. I think now is the best for everyone. I think it's the right time.”
“He obviously had a disagreement with the manager. I don't know at what level. He obviously did the interview, which I think he'll regret later. But that indicated there was a problem there.”
Salah, who is about to become a free agent, has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League or Major League Soccer.
However, Gerrard would not be surprised if he remained in Europe.
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“Knowing him, the relationship I have with him, he will still be considered one of the best players in the world,” the former England midfielder said.
“I think that's why the fallout happened.
“He was probably struggling with the transition from a manager who said, 'You're not starting today.' [and he is thinking] You what? Listen, I'm still one of the best players in the world.”
“I think that's their mentality, and there are good players, top players, and then those at the top who are a little bit strange in terms of their mentality and way of thinking.
“He's one of them, where he just says: I'm the best, I'm the best, I'm the best.”
