Arne Slot has expressed that Mohamed Salah has the potential to maintain a world-class level similar to that of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, stating that Salah’s performances on the pitch matter more than any messages he posts on social media.

Salah moved into eighth place on the all-time Premier League goalscorers’ list with a trademark, stunning finish against Brighton on Saturday. It marked the 164th goal of Salah’s Premier League career and his ninth of the season across all competitions. On Sunday, the forward, who is out of contract with Liverpool at the end of this season, posted a message on X, saying: “No matter what happens, I will never forget what scoring at Anfield feels like.”

Slot insists he has not discussed the post, which is open to interpretation, with the 32-year-old, but he believes the Egyptian international can continue to deliver at the highest level beyond the term of his current deal.

“There’s no reason at the moment to think he’s dropping in terms of level,” said Liverpool’s head coach. “That’s not evident when you look at his numbers or his performances. I don’t know how best to express this in English, but I can’t predict what the future holds.

“Cristiano Ronaldo, what age is he now? [39]. Messi remains incredible [at 37]. But there are also players like me, who weren’t as good at 33—not that I was exceptional at 26. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I do know Mo is in a very good place.”

The Premier League leaders are set to host Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday. Slot claims his only conversations with Salah this week have centred around the upcoming game, not his social media posts, though he accepts that contract-related speculation concerning Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold will continue until their futures with the club are confirmed.

“You interpreted it one way, but perhaps others see it differently,” said Slot when asked about any potential warning in Salah’s post. “I don’t follow Instagram posts from my players; I only speak with them, which you can’t do, and that’s my advantage. I’m hoping he’ll make another post after tomorrow and again after Saturday. What he meant by it isn’t important. What matters to me is how he plays and what he says to me in our conversations. That’s what counts, not how people interpret one of his posts.

“I haven’t discussed it with him. We’ve talked about Leverkusen, as they deserve our full attention due to their quality. He’s out of contract at the end of the season—Virgil also mentioned something in the press—and now there’s a post which you interpreted in a particular way. This will likely continue until their futures are clarified. In the meantime, let’s hope they continue to perform as Mo and Virgil did at the weekend.”