After captaining the Reds against LASK, Jurgen Klopp has finally granted Mo Salah’s ambition to become Liverpool captain.

Despite Liverpool being on the edge of qualifying for the next round, the Egyptian forward was named to the starting lineup at Anfield. It was a momentous moment for Salah, who captained the team in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, with vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold starting on the bench.

Salah had only been given the armband twice before, the first time in a 2-1 Carabao Cup victory over Bournemouth. He was, however, captaining Liverpool for the first time at Anfield.

Klopp’s decision brings an end to Salah’s extended wait, who had previously grumbled about not being given the armband. The 31-year-old earlier spoke out after being surprised not to be captain during a match against Midtjylland in 2020, when Alexander-Arnold was named captain.

“Honestly, I was very disappointed,” Salah said at the time to AS. “I was expecting to be the captain… but it’s the manager’s decision, so I accept it.”

Even during the summer, the issue of club captaincy came up again. Previous captain Jordan Henderson departed Anfield for Saudi Arabia, followed by Fabinho, and previous vice-captain James Milner also left.

Mo Salah captained Liverpool for the first time against LASK at Anfield.

“I was captain for a long time in my career, and what a heck of a job it is because there aren’t a lot of benefits you get, just a lot of work with all the things around,” Klopp explained back in 2020.

“I never felt or still feel the importance of being captain.” Yes, we have a captain like Hendo, which is significant, but only for one game.

“I had no idea how important that could be to players in this world where everything is a big story.” I had no idea Trent had such a tremendous story. The players’ committee consists of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Virgil van Dijk, and Gini Wijnaldum.

“So I didn’t make it that complicated, I just gave Trent the armband,” the German added. And I told Mo about it after the game, and when I realized it didn’t work out, I clarified it, and he mentioned it again in the interview, so it wasn’t a problem for me.

“He expressed disappointment, and I did not do it on purpose; I simply did what I did.” If I made a mistake, it was in not naming Divock Origi as captain.”