Mohamed Salah only human and rest was ‘a necessity’ – Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists Mohamed Salah is only human and cannot be expected to lead the attack every game.

Against Benfica on Wednesday the Egypt international was rested for only the third time, excluding cup matches, this season – and one of those occasions was just a couple of days after he had returned as a defeated Africa Cup of Nations finalist.

Salah, who came off the bench just before the hour in the Champions League quarter-final second leg 3-3 draw which secured a last-four spot against Villarreal, has played 49 matches for club and country already.

There is the possibility he could be required for another 12 if Liverpool maintain their progress in Europe and the FA Cup, where they face Manchester City in a semi-final on Saturday, and that means his time will still have to be managed.

Klopp said the decision to leave him out against Benfica had nothing to do with his form, with Salah not having scored from open play since mid-February.

“The reason for Mo not starting was easy. Even if Mo had scored four goals in the last game he wouldn’t have started yesterday,” said Klopp.

“It’s nothing to do with anything, there’s no story to make, it was just a necessity.

“Mo played (for Egypt) in January and February six times 120 minutes so now we can just close our eyes and say ‘Who cares?’.

“Even he is just a human being and it was clear there would be games when he can’t start, games where we take him off, and he hates that. But it’s clear.

“People might think what I’m actually doing the whole day is to think about these things but when these things are really a necessity to do it is clearly the case.

“I think the (Benfica) game proved it was 100 percent right to change seven times.”

Only goalkeeper