Mohamed Salah let the disappointment of Egypt failing to qualify for the World Cup get the better of him this weekend.
That's according to former Reds star John Aldridge, who says the Liverpool forward's body language "wasn't great" in his side's 2-0 win over Watford, and puts it down to Salah not being "mentally" on the pitch due to being so upset.
"I'm looking at Mo – his body language at the weekend wasn't great," Aldridge wrote in his Liverpool Echo column. "I might be wrong, but mentally for me, he wasn't there. He's paid by Liverpool Football Club and he can't let the disappointment of not going to the World Cup affect him.
"Whether it was that or the contract dispute, I think everyone would agree with me that his head wasn't at Anfield on Saturday. Subsequently, I thought it was the worst game that I've seen him play in a long time. Whether it was something else that we don't know about, I don't know."
Last week Salah's Egypt side failed to qualify for the World Cup following a penalty shootout defeat by Senegal. After the match, Egypt sports minister Ashraf Sobhi had a conversation with Salah in which he told him to leave Liverpool.
Salah responded by telling the minister he is going to remain a Liverpool player and is keen to sign a new deal with the Anfield club.
"I met with Mohamed Salah at the airport after the end of the Senegal match and the failure to reach the World Cup finals and said to him to forget what happened and focus on what’s next," Sobhi told Egyptian radio.
"I have advised him to continue his journey at a club other than Liverpool, but his direction now is to renew his contract with Liverpool. There are campaigns against Salah directed by some to bring him down, but I asked him not to pay attention to them."
