Liverpool boss Klopp reacts to critical Salah tweet and says ‘you never know’ over CL transfer claims

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp insisted that Mo Salah’s critical tweet on Thursday night was a “normal description” of the Reds’ season.

Klopp’s side have had a brilliant end to the season with the Merseysiders picking up 22 points from a possible 24 over their last eight matches – but it wasn’t enough to earn a top-four finish.

Liverpool’s first two thirds of the campaign cost them as arch-rivals Manchester United confirmed their place in the Champions League and condemned Liverpool to Europa League football.

In an unusually strongly-worded post on Twitter after Man United’s win, Salah wrote: “I’m totally devastated. There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed.

“We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down.”

Reacting to Salah’s post, Klopp told reporters in a pre-match press conference: “I read it. I’m worried about the headlines I’ll create with the things I say. After the last game when it was clear [Man Utd and Newcastle] needed a point, I knew they would get it.

“I drew a line. I’m an optimistic person but at that moment I couldn’t see it. If it would have happened we would have gone for it. In the world of social media, so many bad things happen but that wasn’t one of them.

“It was a normal description of his situation. I just saw him in the canteen and he is smiling; I didn’t ask him why, but that is his mood.”

On reasons to be optimistic, Klopp added: “This season has not been historically good. But since we had training in Dubai since the World Cup, not everything has been perfect but the points we collected have been good.

“If we could have done that all season, we’d be in a different place. So, of course there are reasons for optimism. The atmosphere our people created in the last home game, the way the club said farewell to the players who are leaving the day after, all of these things are the basis for a fantastic future.”

On summer transfers, Klopp continued: “I don’t think [lack of Champions League will have an impact] but you never know. It is always possible and probably likely that things won’t go as big as you want because the better the player, the less the desire of the club is to let him go. We are prepared for that.”

Liverpool see out the season away at already-relegated Southampton on Sunday and Klopp revealed his latest team news, he said: “Darwin Nunez trained yesterday. Ibou [Konate] was ill yesterday. Robbo [Andy Robertson] felt something in his groin; it was scanned and is fine but we have to see how we can deal with that. Long-term are still out, but the rest will be alright.”

“It makes sense to make changes. To get fresh legs in and play players that want to show something.”