Liverpool manager Arne Slot has insisted there are no lingering issues with Mohamed Salah following the forward’s recent criticism of the club. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, Slot confirmed that he and Salah had “moved on.”

Salah played a key role in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, despite the turbulent week preceding the match after the Egyptian star publicly criticized the club.

“I said last week, actions speak louder than words,” Slot told reporters on Friday. “We moved on, he was in the squad and was the first substitution I made. Now he has AFCON coming up and will play some big games, so all focus should be on that.”

Depending on how far Egypt advance in the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah could miss up to seven Liverpool games, beginning with Saturday’s clash. Liverpool currently sit seventh in the Premier League with 26 points, 10 behind leaders Arsenal, while Spurs are 11th, four points adrift of Liverpool.

Slot will be without Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez again on Saturday. However, versatile midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who left the Brighton game late with an ankle injury, could feature.

“Dominik trained yesterday for the first time. We’ll see how he is today,” Slot said. “Whether he starts against Spurs depends on his performance and how comfortable he feels with the medical staff’s assessment. If he’s fully fit, he will start.”

Gakpo, sidelined since early December with a muscle injury, could return sooner than expected. “He had a scan that looked promising, so we’re not too worried anymore. He won’t play tomorrow, but he might come back earlier than initially thought,” Slot added.

Gomez, who left last weekend’s game with a hamstring problem, remains unavailable.

Liverpool, who had a challenging start to the season, are unbeaten in their last five games across all competitions. Slot believes the team is gradually finding its rhythm.

“We’re getting closer to the team I want us to be,” Slot said. “It’s been a process with ups and downs, which makes sense given the changes we made over the summer. Adaptation takes time, but we’re making progress.”