Mohamed Salah apologized to his Liverpool teammates over contentious comments

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Mohamed Salah apologized to his Liverpool teammates after complaining of being “ thrown under the bus ” by the Premier League champion, midfielder Curtis Jones said.

Jones told broadcaster Sky Sports on Saturday that Salah took the time to address the issue with them.

“Mo is his own man and he can say his own stuff. He apologized to us and was like, 'If I've affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologize.' That's the man that he is," Jones told Sky. “He was the exact same Mo, he had a big smile on his face and everybody was exactly the same with him. I guess it’s just part of wanting to be a winner.”

The 33-year-old Egypt star has scored 250 goals for Liverpool overall but has only netted five times this season in 20 games.

Last season was one of his best with 34 goals in 52 outings for Liverpool, and he clinched the player of the year award from the Professional Footballers’ Association for the third time.

Salah, who is now at the Africa Cup of Nations, made his explosive comments about feeling unfairly treated at Liverpool after being dropped for a third game in succession.

In the wake of those comments, Liverpool coach Arne Slot left Salah out of the squad for a Champions League game at Inter Milan. But following subsequent talks with Slot, Salah returned to the team against Brighton last Saturday.

Since losing 4-1 at home to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in late November, Liverpool was unbeaten in five matches heading into a Premier League game at Tottenham later Saturday.

“We’re past that now and we’re gelling well as a team," Jones added. “Playing well and starting to win games.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Liverpool's manager Arne Slot applauds at the end of a Champions League, league phase, soccer match between Inter Milan and Liverpool in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Dec.9, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Leeds United's Anton Stach, left, and Liverpool's Curtis Jones in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Leeds United and Liverpool in Leeds, England, Saturday Dec. 6, 2025. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah sits on the bench before the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS

The World Cup will be played in 16 cities from June 11 to July 19, including 14 in the U.S. There are players in Major League Soccer vying for spots on the 26-man U.S. roster, to be announced by coach Mauricio Pochettino in New York on May 26. Six-to-10 MLS players are projected to make the roster. Additional players will be selected for other teams in the 48-nation World Cup field. In 2022, 35 MLS players were on rosters of 12 of the 32 teams.

READ SOME OF AP'S LATEST WORLD CUP COVERAGE

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FIND PLAYERS WITH TIES TO YOUR LOCAL TEAM

View this spreadsheet to find MLS players who are competing for a spot on a FIFA World Cup Team. The spreadsheet also includes their hometowns and where they went to school.

Some spots are already secured or likely, but final rosters are expected to be published by FIFA on June 1. Some coaches may announce before that. Changes can be made up until 24 hours before a team’s first game.

The spreadsheet includes players from the following U.S. and Canadian club teams:

Atlanta United

Austin

Charlotte

Chicago Fire

Colorado Rapids

Columbus Crew

D.C. United

Cincinnati

Dallas

Inter Miami

LA Galaxy

LAFC

Minnesota United

Nashville

New England Revolution

New York City FC

Orlando City

Philadelphia Union

Portland Timbers

Real Salt Lake

New York Red Bulls

San Diego

Seattle Sounders

Toronto

Vancouver Whitecaps

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Localize It is a resource produced regularly by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to the Local News Success team at localizeit@ap.org. View guides published in the last 30 days here.

The FIFA logo is displayed on a World Cup countdown timer outside BC Place stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)