Former Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden has accused Mohamed Salah of tarnishing his legacy at Anfield after he went public in his criticism of manager Arne Slot and the club’s owners.

Salahspoke to the media and served up some explosive comments after the 3-3 draw at Leeds earlier this month, as he accused the club of throwing him under the bus, using him as a scapegoat for the team’s poor form and claiming he no longer had a working relationship with boss Slot.

Liverpoolresponded by dropping Salah from the squad for the Champions League game at Inter Milan, but he returned for last weekend’s game against Brighton and played two thirds of that match after replacing the injured Joe Gomez in the first half.

Salah lingered on the pitch at Anfield after the final whistle against Brighton, in what many viewed as a farewell to the Liverpool fans amid strong links with a move to the Saudi Pro League next month.

Now Zenden, who was a starter for Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final against AC Milan, has hit out at Salah and accused the Egyptian star of picking the wrong route to vent his frustrations.

“If you do something like he did, coming out in public and saying that, it’s obviously to force something, to make something happen or to force a way out,” Zenden told Football365 with Casino Beats.

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“Maybe he wanted to get a reaction and it did that for sure. Is it normal for a player of his stature to be frustrated? Yes, of course. Is he entitled to be frustrated? Yes.

“Then on the other hand, to come out the way he did has not done him any favours. He has gone against the club, the manager and the fans. By doing it that way, you don’t make it easy on yourself. That’s why I say maybe this was his plan to force an exit.

“Look, Mo Salah has been brilliant for Liverpool and the Premier League and up to now, he has not had his best season. I can also understand that is frustrating for him and overall, Liverpool has have been disappointing. This all adds to the situation around Salah.

“What I would say from my time at Liverpool is that this a special club and there was always a feeling that when things get tough there, you have to stick together. That’s not really what Salah did. What he did here has not done him any favours.”

Salah is now with the Egypt squad as they prepare to play their first match in the African Cup of Nations, with Zenden suspecting his future may now lie away from Liverpool.

“When you see him doing a lap of the pitch after the Brighton game at Anfield last weekend, it may suggest he thinks he will not be going back,” he added.

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“He won’t be there for the next three or four weeks if Egypt do well in the tournament and maybe he won’t be back for Liverpool at all. The January transfer window is opening and who knows what can happen.

“Salah has been a great player and if a career like his comes to an end, which it always will at some point, you want to see him leaving through the front door.

“By doing what he did with his comments, it looked like he was trying to kick open the back door to get out of Liverpool, but there is still a way to repair this and end on a high if the players and the club want that to happen.

“He’s one of the all-time greats of the Premier League, so let’s hope they can sort something out to make sure this ends properly.”

Liverpool boss Slot has insisted he does not believe there is any issues left to be resolved with Salah after he returned to his squad, but there is a growing expectation that the Egyptian may have played his last game for the club.