Klopp v Salah: West Ham star reveals Liverpool manager's BRUTAL slap-down

The final weeks of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool reign have been overshadowed by poor results and indifferent performances, with the Reds slipping out of contention for the FA Cup, the Europa League and the Premier League. 

What was shaping up to be a potentially quadruple-winning campaign just a couple of short months ago has gone up in smoke all of a sudden with Liverpool fans left ruing what might have been. 

There will be no fairytale ending to the Klopp era, with the Reds even confirming plans earlier this week to shelve a Carabao Cup trophy parade at the end of the season. 

No image better illustrated the fraying of the Klopp regime than the unceremonious spat between the manager and his superstar forward Mohamed Salah last weekend. 

With Liverpool in need of a result away at West Ham, the German coach summoned Salah from the bench for the closing stages of the Premier League tie at the London Stadium. 

However, there appeared to be an ugly disagreement between player and coach, with Darwin Nunez - also slated to be brought on - stepping in to pull his colleagues apart. 

It was a sorry sight with the manager and the player responsible for so much of Liverpool’s recent glory at each other’s throats with Salah boldly declaring after the game that if he spoke about what transpired pitchside there would be ‘fire’. 

There has been strong reaction to the incident in the football world, with Gabby Agbonlahor taking Salah’s side and the Egyptian’s compatriot Mohamed Aboutrika stating that the striker had been ‘arrogant’ and calling on him to apologise. 

And now one player who was up close and personal to the incident has revealed what REALLY went down. 

Klopp to Salah: 'Do you want to sit back down?'

Michail Antonio was a goalscorer during the 2-2 draw, a result which further pierced the Reds’ slim hopes of giving Klopp a second league title of his reign. 

He confirms there were words between the pair and claimed that at one stage the 56-year-old even threated to send his star forward back to the bench for a perceived lack of respect. 

Salah has been off the boil in recent weeks and, presumably, had been unhappy at starting from the bench against the Hammers and even less satisfied with only getting around 10 minutes to turn the tie around. 

“So basically, this is not inside information, but what I’ve heard, this is what the boys have been talking about on the training ground,” Antonio began on the BBC’s The Players Channel.

“As players come on, Klopp usually gives them a big hug and wishes them luck, but when Mo came up from the bench he kind of walked in a different direction and did his shin-pads and stuff. 

“Klopp has put his hand out to him and his hand was just there, left hanging, for a bit and when Mo’s stopped what he’s doing he just slapped his hand.

“Klopp didn’t like that and was like: “Do you want to sit back down?”, basically saying do you not want to go on? Nobody has told me what Mo said back. That’s what the situation was.”

Liverpool will be hoping for a better outcome this weekend when they host Tottenham Hotspur in the league.