Jurgen Klopp claimed Mohamed Salah would not like the comparison – but the Liverpool manager agrees the Egyptian bears similarities to Lionel Messi.
Liverpool forward Salah was likened to the Barcelona star as he struck four goals in 5-0 thrashing on Watford on Saturday.
Salah also created another goal for Roberto Firmino in a devastating display amid snow flurries and freezing conditions at Anfield.
Asked in his post-match press conference if Salah could be mentioned in the same sentence as five-time world player of the year Messi, Reds boss Klopp said: ‘I think Mo is on the way.
‘I don’t think Mo or anybody else wants to be compared with Lionel Messi – he is the one who has been doing what he’s been doing for what feels like 20 years or so. The last player I know who had the same influence on a team performance was Diego Maradona.
‘But Mo is in a fantastic way, that’s for sure. As it always is in life, if you have to have the skills you have to show that constantly and consistently, and he is very good. He helps us a lot.
‘The boys love playing together with him, he loves playing with them so it’s good.
‘He gave us a good four goals. I think that’s quite exceptional and another good performance.
‘We had to cope and deal with difficult conditions tonight. It was slippery. Everybody suffered but not Mo in that situation. That is really special.’
MOHAMED SALAH THIS SEASON
- Premier League – 30 games, 28 goals, 10 assists
- Champions League (including qualifiers) – 10 games, 7 goals, 2 assists
- FA Cup – 1 game, 1 goal
- Total – 41 games, 36 goals, 12 assists