Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah insists he will always love the club as he prepares to bid farewell after nine years.
This season has been the most frustrating and unhappiest of his tenure at Anfield, in which he won the Champions League and two Premier League titles as well as four Golden Boots, and that has been reflected in some of his public comments.
In December he was dropped from the squad after claiming he had been "thrown under the bus" after being benched after a run of poor results for the team and he also said his relationship with head coach Arne Slot had broken down.
That was patched up enough for him to return to the team after the Africa Cup of Nations but the mutual decision to part ways with a year of his contract still remaining suggested it was only a temporary truce.
His social media post after last week's defeat at Aston Villa, calling for a return to the "heavy metal football" of the Jurgen Klopp era may have resonated with fans but it did little to convince observers he and Slot see eye to eye.
But as his final day at the club approaches with the visit of Brentford on Sunday Salah spoke about his feelings for the Liverpool and its supporters.
"The club means everything. The people mean everything, the city means everything. I will always love this club. I will always support it," he told Salah: Farewell to the King, an LFC Orginal film made available on YouTube.
"It means to me everything. You live in the club, you feel the love and appreciation from the fans.
"This is the most important thing, people appreciate what you have done and appreciate everything you’ve done for them and for yourself.
"It feels special. I’m blessed. Not too many people had the opportunity to play here nine years and perform how I performed or just enjoy or go through the process that I’ve been through.
"So, it’s a blessing and something I don’t take for granted."
Meanwhile, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insists it has been business as usual on the training ground after Salah's criticism of the style the team is playing.
In a social media post after last week’s defeat at Aston Villa the Egypt international said he wanted to see a return to "heavy metal football".
That was a reference to former manager Jurgen Klopp, under whom Salah enjoyed his greatest form, and the post was liked by 12 members of the current squad.
But after a disappointing season for everyone at the club Slot did not think those comments undermined him.
"What I know, and that is my world, is to see how they train and I have not seen anything different compared to the rest of the season," he said.
"Out of experience I know that is usually not the most simple week but the boys trained really well and I’m expecting them to do the same in the upcoming two days.
"I don’t think it is that important what I feel about it. What is important is that we qualify for the Champions League on Sunday and I prepare Mo and the whole team in the best possible way for the game."
In a pointed response to Salah, Slot said the forward had been happy enough when they won the Premier League last season but that the evolution in the game meant it was never going to be easy to replicate.
"You are doing a lot of assumptions; first of all you say that he wants to play that style and then say it is not my style," added the Dutchman.
"I think Mo was really happy with the style we played last year as it lead to us winning the league.
"Football has changed, football has evolved, but we both want what is best for Liverpool and that is for us to compete for trophies, which we haven’t done this season.
"He and the team – and I was included in that – brought the league title back after five years and we would like to challenge for that again next season and continue to evolve the team. That is my take on it.
"We have to find that right balance of still being able to compete but definitely also play the brand and style of football the fans want to see and I want my team to play."
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