The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Salah should stay at Reds
Liverpool: Captain Henderson confident over player of the year’ s future
Captain Jordan Henderson believes Liverpool can keep Mo Salah out of the clutches of European rivals by creating their own history with him.
The Reds head into their first Champions League semi-final for a decade on the back of the 41-goal Egypt international being crowned PFA player of the year.
Salah’s success has contributed in a large part to the January departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for £142million barely being mentioned let alone felt by the team.
However, manager Jurgen Klopp did admit the Brazil international’s exit was painful, saying: “We lost Phil Coutinho - that is not a hobby, it doesn’t even feel like fun.”
But until the Reds, five-time winners of the European Cup, become a consistent force in Europe again they always leave themselves open to the possibility of more successful clubs picking off their best players.
Henderson hopes Tuesday night’s Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Roma will be a stepping stone to that situation changing.
“He’s up there with the world’s best so obviously there will be other clubs who want to take him away,” said Henderson, who revealed he voted for Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne - Salah’s main rival - for the PFA award.
“But I feel like he’s in a great place with a great set of lads and a great manager going in the right direction.
“We want to create our own history here and I’m sure that Mo wants to be part of that. He’s a big part of that now and I’m sure he will be for many years to come.
“He’s been fantastic throughout the season. His record and his stats speaks for themselves.
“He’s been a massive player for us this season and hopefully he can continue that form over the next few weeks.”
Henderson heads into arguably his biggest game as Liverpool captain, having been an unused substitute in the Europa League final defeat to Sevilla two years ago as he was not fully fit.
He is therefore keen to make the most of this op- portunity, and others he hopes will come their way under Klopp’s guidance.
“Since the manager came to the club we’ve improved every season,” he added.
“I feel as though I’ve improved a lot since he came to the club and hopefully I can improve a lot more over the next few years.
“He’s one of the best managers in the world. Tactically, it goes without saying how knowledgeable he is within the game.
“Off the field, he’s a fantastic human.”
“His record and his stats speaks for themselves”