Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday was overshadowed by a potentially season-ending injury to Mohamed Salah.
With only four games remaining in the 2025/26 campaign and Salah’s departure from the club already confirmed for this summer fears are mounting that the Egyptian King has played his final minutes in a Red shirt.
Few icons in modern football have rewritten the record books as prolifically as Mohamed Salah, but the curtain may have fallen prematurely on his legendary Anfield career this past Saturday.
The prolific forward likely played his final minutes for Liverpool after being forced off with a suspected hamstring injury during the 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace. It was a poignant scene as he made his way toward the touchline, the Egyptian King turned to applaud all four stands of the stadium.
His visible emotion during the walk sparked immediate concern among the fans, serving as a heavy hint that the damage might be significant enough to end his season.
With his departure from the club already confirmed for this summer, the prospect of the club’s greatest modern goalscorer finishing his tenure on the treatment table is a bitter pill for the Red side of Merseyside to swallow.
If the initial fears are confirmed, that emotional farewell to the Kop may well have been his final act in a red shirt.
Thankfully the Reds were 2-0 up at the time of Salah’s injury thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Andy Robertson in the first half. Palace cut the deficit through Daniel Munoz’s controversial goal, while Freddie Woodman was down injured, and hit the post through Jorgen Strand Larsen before Florian Wirtz made the points safe with a powerful finish in injury-time.
Arne Slot, spoke out about the injury after the game, where he said that will have to assess the damage.
“We don’t know, that is the best answer I can give,” said Slot.
“If I say there might be a chance, that is probably all the headlines – that there might be a chance – so we simply don’t know. But what we do know is that the season in four weeks is over.
“Not a lot of games are being played so we have to wait and see how his injury is, if he can return to play.
“What I do know about Mo is he has taken good care of his body all these years that he will have the minimum time required to recover from an injury and let’s hope for the best, that he is available.”
He has played 440 times for Liverpool since signing from Roma in 2017. He has 257 goals for the club, including 12 this season, but will move on in the summer, having decided not to see out the final year of his £350,000-a-week contract.
Injury blow to Salah and Liverpool
This season has been a challenging one from the extraordinary standards the veteran forward usually maintains. Beset by fitness issues, the 33-year-old was notably sidelined for two weeks at the end of March due to a previous muscle injury, preventing him from finding his typical rhythm.
Statistically, the Egyptian King is currently enduring his least productive stint since arriving on Merseyside in 2017. With just seven Premier League goals and six assists to his name this term, the numbers fall well short of the elite output Anfield has grown accustomed to over the last nine years. While still a vital presence, the uncharacteristic dip highlights the physical toll of a long career at the highest level.
However, he has still produced decisive moments in key matches, with quality goals in his previous games against Fulham and Everton, which have helped the side pick up six huge points in their push for Champions League qualification for next season.
The injury is a massive blow for the Dutchman’s team as they are still in a fight for those positions, and they have a big test next week away at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
In the game against the Eagles, he was replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, who has featured as a right winger in a handful of games so far this year.
With news that the Anfield outfit are looking to introduce a right back this summer, it could be a role the Dutchman features in more next season.
The future of the Egyptian has yet to become clear on where he will be playing next season, but if the injury is serious, there is a chance he may not play for Liverpool again.
A sad end for an Anfield legend
Following this afternoon’s fixture, the Reds have only two remaining dates at Anfield this season. These matches would have served as the perfect stage for the Egyptian to receive a well-deserved send-off from the home crowd before his summer departure.
However, with his availability now in serious doubt, there are fears that the legendary attacker may have been denied the chance to say a proper goodbye on the pitch. If the hamstring injury is as severe as feared, the final two home games against Chelsea and Brentford could pass without their iconic number 11 in the squad, leaving a bittersweet void in the season’s closing chapters.
He’s been part of multiple different Liverpool teams, from the famous front three alongside Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, to a strong relationship with Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, to a short stint with Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike this season.
For many fans, he has provided them with some of the greatest days of their life following the club. From a penalty in Madrid, a last-minute goal against Manchester United, a hat trick at Old Trafford or a goal which helped Liverpool claim the Premier League title during the 2025/26 season against Spurs, he has been part of many special moments.
He changed Liverpool’s modern history and helped redefine elite wide forwards in European football. If this was a goodbye, it would close a chapter on one of the greatest players the club has ever known.
