Salah will push himself to greater heights says Klopp
MAN UNITED V LIVERPOOL 4.30PM TOMORROW
MO SALAH shares the same secret ingredient that has turned Cristiano Ronaldo into one of the greatest of all time.
According to Jurgen Klopp, who has managed such top strikers as Robert Lewandowski and PierreEmerick Aubameyang, it will allow the Liverpool forward to be the world’s best for years to come.
At Old Trafford tomorrow, Ronaldo goes head-to-head with Salah – “the best in the world right now”, in the view of the Liverpool boss.
This season, Salah certainly has the edge over Ronaldo and the rest of the Premier League’s strikers.
The 29-year-old has most goals per 90 minutes in the league, with the Manchester United striker second; most goal involvements; most goals since the start of last season; most touches in the penalty area, again with Ronaldo second; and the second most assists and dribbles, with the Portuguese third.
When Klopp was asked if Salah compares to 36-year-old Ronaldo in his obsession with being the best and staying at the top, the German replied: “Yes.
“You need luck because things like injuries can happen but I think the professionalism of both is the one thing you can compare 100 percent, and can say it is probably the same.
“Mo is incredibly professional. He is really the first one in and very, very often the last out of all the players.
“He is constantly interested in all the things he can do and has to do to keep or improve his standard. All of these kind of things he has... and he still has a lot [more] to give, 100 percent.”
Salah has been on fire this season, scoring in all but one of his 11 appearances (and even having a goal disallowed in that game) putting pressure on the Anfield board to give him a new, extended contract.
Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson says Salah can extend his career at the very top just as Ronaldo has done.
“The way he is still playing, they definitely need to keep him,” said Johnson. “He looks after himself and trains right, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he goes on to have a long
career like Ronaldo, and keep this form up for the next five years.”
Klopp agrees. He described Salah and Ronaldo as “world class,
obviously” suggesting the United player has the better right foot and his own star a superior left.
But he argued the Egyptian has an X-factor at the moment, which makes him think something special will happen every time he gets the ball... as his goals against Atletico Madrid, Watford and Manchester City proved.
Klopp said: “It is all about the quality of Mo in this moment to do it, to try it. Atletico knew about this ability and wanted to defend it desperately and still couldn’t do it. That is pretty special.”
Curtis Jones is available to face United after recovering from a groin injury, but fellow midfielder Thiago, who has a calf problem, will not return to full training until next week.