Klopp warning over Salah strike rate

Jurgen Klopp says Mohamed Salah can continue his recordbreaking Liverpool strike rate, although he has urged the Egyptian striker not to allow obsession for goals to become “desperation”.

Salah has two in the first three games of the season, suggesting his 44-goal debut year may not be a one-off.

For Klopp, seeing Salah hit the same numbers is not a priority. He wants the main focus to be winning matches.

“To me, he looks he is exactly in that [scoring] mood again – only with some more confidence – because now he knows it’s possible,” said the Anfield manager. “But that is the only change – so don’t get desperate to score goals in this kind of overly strike offensive play.

“We need him to score goals, but not overly. I don’t expect 40 goals from one player. I only want to win a football game.”

Salah (right) is in a dispute with the Egyptian football association regarding his treatment while on international duty.

Klopp hopes the issue will be resolved soon, insisting the 26-year-old is committed to playing for his country.

“It’s 100 per cent clear, his heart. He wants to play for his country and he wants to play for us,” said Klopp. “Here, you have to sort it; there, they have to sort it. That’s how it is. “When was the last time Egypt had a player like him? They need to get used to it.” Klopp, meanwhile, has told Simon Mignolet not to air publicly his grievances about being relegated to goalkeeping understudy. “In general, discussing your individual problems in public does not make too much sense, it is better to speak to each other,” he added.