“The club comes first and foremost; no one individual is bigger than the club.”

There are no prizes for guessing who said that. Yes, the immortal Bill Shankly.

It’s a pity Mo Salah didn’t read it before hatching his exit plan at Leeds last weekend.

Because when speaking to the media, he gave the distinct impression that he put himself well ahead of Liverpool in the pecking order.

As the club decides how to deal with their errant superstar, they may well ask: What would Shankly do?

In fact, that question is still asked in certain Merseyside households when decisions are required. It has become a ritual, and an amusing one when it’s over mundane matters.

Such was the impact the great man made.

And when it comes to Salah, the Liverpool hierarchy wouldn’t need to wait long for an answer.

From someone who extolled the virtues of unity, loyalty and teamwork, along with the paramountcy of the club in all issues, it would be short and sharp: Sell him.

However they look at them, Salah’s sins are Cardinal.

Knowing the club was in crisis, he chose his moment perfectly, as a scheming opponent would, not as a revered, highly-paid, senior member of the team.

He chose to strike at the manager while he was down, to throw a grenade into the season while the team was already wounded.

He must have known the carnage it would cause. It was cunning, calculating, and all for personal gain.

It grieves me to write like this, having supported the campaign to “give Mo his dough.”

But this was “off the Richter” in how perceptions of him changed.

He will always be a great player, but the word ‘selfish’ will now be permanently attached.

All strikers are, and for their role, it’s a generally positive trait – on the field.

However, Salah’s seven-minute savaging of Arnie Slot and “one other” was betrayal.

It was also laughable. If his claim to have “earned the right to a place” by his achievements, then the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Alan Hansen would still be doddering around Anfield.

This is the crux of the issue. Salah’s form has fallen off a cliff in every aspect of his game.

But it happened before the end of last season.

Slot was patient with Salah and probably waited a couple of games too many before leaving him out.

Some fans were imploring Slot to drop him in October.

As for the others who were lucky to keep their places, Ibrahima Konate stayed because Slot had few options.

With little faith in the injury-prone Joe Gomez, he was loath to risk the England defender until he had to.

Konate has had decent moments too, and Slot felt it was all about confidence – more likely to be regained by playing.

Cody Gakpo is the other lucky survivor, but Slot was initially reluctant to play Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak together.

That, in itself, suggests he was not keen on signing both.

You may disagree with the manager, but as the Americans say, “It’s his ass” that’s on the line.

No one wants a football club to win more than its manager.

The Liverpool fans in Milan chanted Slot’s name and made it clear who they were supporting.

The minority backing Salah are those who maintain that last season’s title was won by “Klopp’s team”, and now this is “Slot’s team”, the current boss is getting the blame for its poor showing.

That’s a pretty curmudgeonly view when hardly anyone thought Slot would win the crown in his first season in the EPL.

The Dutchman did brilliantly by using a light touch, with most of his tweaks coming off. And, it was under his tutelage that Salah enjoyed his stellar campaign.

What was striking about Salah’s speech was how measured it was. Obviously premeditated, it was not a tirade, but calculated and calmly delivered.

It was also perfectly timed. Much of this year, he will spend playing for Egypt as the World Cup follows four months after the African Cup of Nations.

You don’t have to be a cynic to suggest that he might want a less intense league than the EPL to play in between to ensure he’s in peak condition for national service.

The Saudi Pro League would offer that, along with even more money than he’s making on Merseyside. And not flogging himself in a lost cause, Liverpool’s title defence being all but over.

He even mentioned bringing his parents over for what could be his farewell match against Brighton tomorrow (whether on the field or on the bench).

He thought of almost everything.

What he failed to factor in was how this rebellion would affect his legacy.

His weight of goals will ensure he’ll always be one of the all-time greats, but sadly, his chances of a statue have surely diminished.

Fans are already saying he can no longer be considered a Liverpool legend.

Although the timing at first seemed excruciating for Liverpool, it may offer an escape route.

With Saudi interest piqued, a sizable fee could still be had for the Egyptian even if it’s less than half the £150m that Al Ittihad offered in the summer of 2023.

Give or take a few riyals, it might be enough to buy Antoine Semenyo, as suggested last week, or one of several younger candidates to replace him.

We should not be misled by the players taking a more emollient stance when asked about Salah in midweek. They understandably straight-batted just to play safe and it’s not up to them.

His fate will be decided primarily by FSG’s CEO of football, Michael Edwards and director of football, Richard Hughes, as well as Slot.

Due to the magnitude of the issue, a call across the Atlantic will surely be made. But FSG are venture capitalists and they will see this from a business point of view.

They can get Salah’s huge wages off the payroll and a fee for him that’s big enough to cover a much younger and more eager replacement.

They’ll surely give the same answer as Shankly.

And that has to be a better option than paying a fortune to a disruptive and unhappy player who could do more damage by staying.

It’s a great pity it’s come to this, but there’s only one person to blame.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.