Mohamed Salah's decision to leave Liverpool comes at the right time and is in everyone's best interests, believes former Reds captain Steven Gerrard.

Last week, Liverpool confirmed they had reached an agreement with Salah to allow him to depart at the end of the season.

That news came less than 12 months after Salah penned a new two-year contract with the club, having tied the Premier League's single-season goal involvement record (47) during their title-winning 2024-25 campaign.

But Salah has endured a major drop-off this season, with his form declining even before he became embroiled in a public spat with head coach Arne Slot in December.

Having been benched for three straight games, Salah said he had been "thrown under the bus" by Slot, though he later apologised and returned to the fold.

Salah has only scored five Premier League goals this term, leaving him on course for his worst scoring campaign for the Reds, and Gerrard feels a fresh start will benefit everyone.

Asked if he was surprised by the news of Salah's impending departure, Gerrard said on Stick To Football: "No, not at all. I think it's in everyone's best interests now.

"I think the timing's right. He's obviously had a disagreement with the manager. I don't know at what level. 

"He's obviously done that interview, which I think he'll regret further down the line. But that told us all there was an issue there."

Salah has made 435 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions to date, scoring 255 goals and providing 119 assists for his team-mates. 

He is third on their all-time goalscoring list, behind only Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285), while his 284 goal contributions in the Premier League have only ever been bettered by Wayne Rooney (311) and Alan Shearer (324).

Gerrard also revealed he spoke to Salah around the time of his bust-up with Slot, advising the Egyptian to build bridges and leave the club on good terms. 

"I spoke to him around that interview and said to him, 'don't do what you've done and go under a cloud,'" Gerrard said.

"I spoke to him directly. It gave me the opportunity to say to him, 'look, you've been here eight, nine years, you've been king here, you've got this legacy, just go on your terms, the right way.'

"He was still a little bit emotional from the incident. He was in and out of the team at the time, he was upset. I just thought it would be a shame if he left in January, without a goodbye."

Liverpool return to action on Saturday as they face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, before visiting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.