Egypt star Mohamed Salah sets the standard at Liverpool

LEADER: Mohamed Salah has led the line superbly for Liverpool this season, scoring 23 times. (AFP)

LONDON: Mohamed Salah will continue his record goalscoring form until the end of the season, according to his manager Jurgen Klopp.
The Egyptian star has scored 23 goals for Liverpool in all competitions since arriving at Anfield in the summer, equalling a club record set by Roger Hunt in 1961/62 for the most goals in a campaign before the turn of the year.
And despite a minor injury concern for the striker in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Leicester on Saturday, Klopp was full of praise for his player and said he could not envisage Salah’s form dropping in the second half of the season.
“Mo can keep that standard for sure. It’s not just about scoring only, it’s about other situations. He is so important for us,” he said. “He knows and I know he could not score without support of the other boys. But yes, I think he can keep the standard.”
Salah’s fine domestic form — 17 Premier League goals and six in the Champions League — has been mirrored on the international stage too. In 11 appearances for his country this year, he has notched five goals, including an injury-time penalty against Congo that sent the Pharaohs to their first World Cup since 1990.
Egypt’s head coach Hector Cuper has also praised Salah, tipping him to become a “great” and good enough to play for the very best teams. Cuper told Spanish newspaper Marca: “Without doubt he is the star of the team. Salah is a very good player who has the ability to play for Real Madrid.”
Salah, whose talent came into question during his torrid spell at Chelsea in 2014 amid criticism about his ability, has silenced any doubters after an outstanding first half of the season back in England. Since his time at Stamford Bridge, he has had successful stints at Italian sides Fiorentina and Roma, before joining Liverpool last year.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Salah said Klopp’s clear vision helped him settle at his new club. “At the beginning when I signed (for Liverpool) it was a bit different to Rome. But soon I knew what the coach wanted from me and the quality of players makes everything easier for me. From the first day I knew what I wanted to do and I scored goals in the pre-season, so I had a good start.”
And Salah is predicting a successful year for himself and his new club. “I am always saying I want to win titles here. I came here to win titles. To win something for the club, for us, for the fans. I would love to win something here. We are working hard every day to win something and I am sure we will this year,” he added.