Mohamed Salah scored his 28th goal of the season as Liverpool beat Wolves 2-1 on Sunday afternoon and Alan Shearer has admitted to being proved wrong by the Egyptian star
Alan Shearer has conceded that he underestimated Mohamed Salah, having anticipated a “drop off” for the Liverpool star amid his ongoing contract saga.
Salah once again found the net on Sunday, helping Liverpool grind out a 2-1 victory over Wolves to keep their seven-point lead at the Premier League summit. The 32-year-old’s smoothly converted penalty in the first half took his season’s tally to 28 goals across all competitions.
Salah is enjoying a stunning season under Arne Slot, yet fears that it could be his swansong at Anfield forced Shearer to air concerns that the off-pitch drama might hamper the Egyptian’s performances. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, the ex-Newcastle United forward said that it would have only been “human nature” for Salah to experience a dip in form as a consequence.
“He’s some player,” said Shearer. “I thought, and I said earlier in the season, that there might be a tiny, not a lot, but a tiny sort of drop off because of the contract situation, the worry that you haven’t got the protection, I guess, or the guarantee of that behind you going forward. But at the minute, there hasn’t been at all
I thought it would have been only human nature to see a tiny, tiny drop off. But there isn’t. And I think that tells you about his mindset and how tough he is mentally.
Meanwhile, Richards, who had encouraged Liverpool to offer Salah whatever he wants in order to keep him on Merseyside, reiterated that hopes to see the Egyptian star in the Premier League for the foreseeable future, as per the Liverpool ECHO.
“When I say give him what he wants, I didn’t mean blow the wage structure to a different level,” he said. “I just mean there’s a player who doesn’t always have to play at the top of his game and he can still produce magical moments.
“So, if you look at his cross for the goal from [Alexis] Mac Allister but then his goal to take it on the right foot so quickly [in the recent Merseyside derby] that’s the difference between a top level player, a world class player and Mo Salah in front of goal
“He’s just so deadly. And I hope we can get the contract sorted because I want to see him in the Premier League because he’s just that good in the big moments
Salah’s goal against Wolves has put him close to becoming Liverpool’s third-highest scorer ever. But just last month, he acknowledged that his time with Liverpool might be drawing to an end.
“Do I believe this is my last season? So far, yeah. It’s the last six months,” Salah said. “There is nothing, no progress there and we are far away from any progress, so we just need to wait and see