Mohamed Salah turns 31 in a couple of weeks’ time but such is his fitness, he will - touch wood - play on at the highest level for another half a decade, at least.
Salah really is the most remarkably robust of footballers. Since his move to Liverpool in 2017, injury or illness has prevented him from being available for selection for only three matches. He is not just ultra-talented, he is teak-tough.
But while we can expect to witness Salah’s brilliance for several years to come, he is at the stage of his career when a season without Champions League football is hard to take. And that much was crystal clear from his reaction to the formalities of non-qualification being completed on Thursday night.
In his social media post, Salah said he was “totally devastated” and that there was “no excuse for this” before telling fans “we let you and ourselves down.” In an age when apologies from footballers seem to be increasingly common but not always sincere, this was a particularly candid post.
It carried extra significance because Salah is one of the Liverpool players who you would say has had a good season. He has again scored 30 goals in all competitions and is fourth, with 19, in the Premier League golden boot table.
It is fair to say Salah did his bit in the quest for a top four finish while others did not. And what is clear from his message is that Salah would not tolerate the same thing happening next season.
Neither, you suspect, would Jurgen Klopp, even though he would be ultimately culpable. Another extremely pointed element of Salah’s tweet was when he said “we had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed”, which means Klopp is included in the “we”.
But Liverpool clearly did not have everything they needed and that is why the owners have to find the finances to fund a serious summer of investment at a club whose stadium will - with the new Anfield Road stand close to completion - hold 61,000 people next season.
The signals sent out by their early withdrawal from the contest to sign Jude Bellingham were ominous but Salah’s message should crystallise the thoughts of Fenway Sports Group. It will not be easy to sanction big spending because Liverpool will obviously take a serious monetary hit from their failure to make the Champions League, which will also make it tougher to stay within the boundaries of Financial Fair Play.
But Liverpool need some serious midfield upgrades and the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Mason Mount will come at a cost. FSG have to find a way to get those sort of marquee deals done as the competition for a top four spot next season will be fiercer.
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Arsenal will sign Declan Rice, making a very good team a lot better, Manchester United will strengthen and Mauricio Pochettino should be able to drag Chelsea back into the mix.
Newcastle United are only going to get better and there’s nothing more to be said about Manchester City. Liverpool’s unbeaten ten-game run is encouraging but Arsenal were the only top-four opposition in that spell and they will feel they should have won rather than drawn at Anfield.
Considering this is the first time since 2015/16 that Liverpool have finished outside the top four, Salah’s horrified reaction might seem just a little bit excessive.
But the conclusion that can be drawn is clear. If Liverpool and Klopp stage a repeat of this season in 2023/24, Salah will be heading for the exit door.
