Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has broken his silence regarding the impasse Mohamed Salah and the club have reached in contract negotiations.
The 2019/20 Premier League-winning manager is adamant that the contract standoff between the Egyptian and the club will have little bearing on his star player's focus levels, as the German hailed Salah's fitness levels.
Salah walked off the pitch tentatively during Liverpool's 2-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, raising questions as to whether the forward would be fit for Wednesday's match against Arsenal.
The game against the Gunners now takes on more significance after Manchester City were held to a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Despite missing Monday's training, Klopp confirmed that the 2018 BBC African Footballer of the Year will most likely be able to compete in North London.
Salah's name has been mentioned more regularly in the media as of late after news broke last week that talks with the 29-year-old over a new contract at Anfield have broken down. Klopp insists there are no worries that the stalemate in negotiations will affect the Premier League's top goal scorer's concentration.
"It is a clear commitment for the team for this season and then we will talk about the rest – future, immediate, further. Mo is not a guy for (being distracted), not at all. If I don't (start) him, then his mood (with me) goes down! That is possible but not against the team or whatever," Klopp said during his pre-game press conference, as per the Mirror.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager also lauded Salah for his tremendous durability.
"Mo is a tough cookie and he was only a little bit cut, we were quite lucky with it. It was swollen, painful, yesterday a little less swollen, less painful. Now I got the message that Mo is ready to train and we will see how that looks," he added.
