Mohamed Salah dropped by Liverpool after revealing 'disappointment' at captaincy decision and hinting at Spain move

Mohamed Salah was omitted from Liverpool’s starting lineup against Crystal Palace, hours after giving an interview in which he admitted he was "disappointed" to be overlooked as the club's stand-in captain and hinted that he could entertain a move to Spain. Salah scored twice as a second-half substitute in Liverpool’s sensational 7-0 thrashing of Palace at Selhurst Park, with manager Jurgen Klopp saying the forward was being rested. Klopp added that he had “nothing to say” about Salah’s interview. In the piece with Spanish publication AS, the Egyptian international said he thought he would be handed the role for the Champions League dead rubber against Midtjylland after Jordan Henderson started on the bench, and with vice-captains James Milner and Virgil Van Dijk unavailable due to injury. But Klopp opted to reward youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold with the temporary leadership role, a position the academy graduate is expected to absorb full-time later in his career. Salah said he was not happy with the decision. “Honestly, I was very disappointed,” he told AS. “I was expecting to be the captain. But it's a manager's decision, so I accept it.” The timing of the remarks, and the fact that they could be construed as disrespectful to Alexander-Arnold, is certain to cause consternation at Anfield. It also prompted speculation that Salah’s omission from the team against Palace was a form of punishment. Asked after the game about the decision to leave Salah on the bench, Klopp said: “It is the first time for a while we had the opportunity to do something like this. We played Sunday and Wednesday so we needed fresh legs today. “Mo missed only seven minutes from the last four games. It is a massively intense period, so it was clear it would be him. Bringing him in for the last half an hour, I thought it was a good idea.” When he was pressed on Salah’s comments in the interview, Klopp replied: “Nothing to say from my side about that. All fine.” The fact that the interview appeared in one of Spain's biggest-selling publications will only add to the suspicion that Salah's representatives could be laying the groundwork for a transfer. Asked if he has ambitions to move to one of the La Liga clubs, Salah told AS: “I think Madrid and Barcelona are top clubs. We never know what is going to happen in the future, but right now I'm focused on winning the Premier League and the Champions League again with my club.” Salah signed a new five-year contract in 2018, but when asked how long he will stay at Anfield, he replied: “That's a tough one, but right now I can say that everything is in the club's hands. Of course I want to break records here and, I repeat, every record in the club, but everything's in the hands of the club.” Liverpool have never offered any hint of wanting to sell one of the modern legends who helped them win the Champions League and Premier League. Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have formed what is widely considered the most effective front three in Europe over the past years, each of them rewarded with new deals during that time. Football stat collect from isports API, for more details please visit www.isportsapi.com .