Mo Salah admits 'tension' with Liverpool team-mate and off-pitch distancing

has revealed there was 'tension' behind the scenes at between himself and former Reds winger . Both players arrived early in Jurgen Klopp's tenure and formed part of a deadly front three alongside Roberto Firmino. They won almost every available trophy before Mane and Firmino left for Saudi Arabia, breaking up their iconic partnership.

It was often speculated that Salah and Mane had a frosty relationship behind the scenes at Anfield. One famous incident in 2019 saw Mane spit feathers at the Liverpool bench after Salah failed to pass to him for a simple tap-in. Rumours of a rift were never confirmed despite the pair quite clearly not seeing eye-to-eye.

Salah has since addressed the speculation for the very first time, telling that his relationship with Mane was fraught with tension. He added that it was a strictly professional dynamic, with the duo never considering themselves as friends.

"Yes, there was tension with Sadio," admitted Salah. "Mind you, we were professional until the end. I don't think it affected the team. Off the pitch, we weren't very close, but we always respected each other."

Reflecting on the various media headlines about their rocky relationship, Salah added: "I don't care. People can think what they want, it's their right, but I invite everyone to note that the person who provided Mane with the most assists is me.

"We can look at the facts, but it's obviously easier to throw out phrases like that, it makes the headlines. I know how it works, as long as it remains within the limits of respect.

"That's fine with me, but that doesn't mean that this opinion is true. At the end of the day, I know what I did, and my conscience is clear."

Firmino, meanwhile, previously offered his take on Salah and Mane's strained dynamic in his book Si Senor: My Liverpool Years.

"I knew those guys very well, maybe better than anyone," wrote the Brazilian. "It was me out there on the field, right in the middle of them. I saw first-hand the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was mad at the other.

"I was the link between them in our attacking play and the firefighter in those moments. For many, that disagreement between Sadio and Mo [in 2019] was the first. For some, the first and last, but I knew it had been brewing since the previous season.

"My instinct and my duty was to defuse the situation between them. Pour water on the fire, never petrol. They were never best friends, each kept himself to himself.

"It was rare to see the two of them talking and I'm not sure if that had to do with the Egypt-Senegal rivalry in African competitions. I truly don't know. But they also never stopped talking, never severed ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism."