Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has picked out Mohamed Salah as his ‘favourite’ player to watch in world football, praising the Liverpool forward’s extraordinary ‘longevity’ in the game.
Salah has enjoyed a phenomenal start to the 2024/25 campaign with Liverpool under new head coach Arne Slot, in what is his eighth season at Anfield.
In the Premier League alone this term, Salah has racked up 22 goals and 14 assists to help make the Merseyside giants the overwhelming favourites to win the title.
The 32-year-old has also been on song in the Champions League, notching three goals and four assists ahead of the Reds’ participation in this year’s knockout phase.
While there remains uncertainty over Salah’s future at the club, with his current contract due to expire in the summer, the Egyptian has shown no signs that this could impact his performances in a Liverpool shirt.
The current bookmakers’ favourite to lift the Ballon d’Or, Salah will hope to continue his exceptional form this weekend when Liverpool men return to Premier League action at home to struggling Wolves.
Wenger has been blown away by Salah’s heroics on Merseyside and named the attacker among his top five players to watch during a quickfire Q&A with GOAL before managing Team KSI at today’s Match for Hope.
‘Well outside of Arsenal I would say Salah, [Cole] Palmer, Vinicius [Junior], [Kylian] Mbappe,’ the iconic Frenchman replied when asked for his five.
‘My favourite player is a guy like Salah because despite the longevity his career is still at the top.
‘Then you have exciting players like [Lamine] Yamal and like Palmer.’
Wenger met Salah back in 2021 after being invited to Liverpool’s training ground by Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp.
Looking back on Wenger’s visit, Salah revealed a piece of advice the ex-Arsenal boss gave him which had stuck in his mind ever since.
‘I got advice from Arsene Wenger before, te was at Melwood at the time,’ Salah told Liverpool’s official website last November.
‘I asked him what the difference is between a good player and a really, really good player.
‘He said, “I think the very, very good player is always focused in the game, even if he doesn’t have the momentum, he stays in the game until the last minute or until the whistle”.
‘For me, I know there are some games when I don’t have the momentum, I don’t have the game.
‘But I’m always focused in the game to finish stuff so I don’t mind that.
‘Even [Liverpool assistant] Johnny [Heitinga], when he came here this year, he was like “Mo, you’re not playing good today”, and I said, “Yeah, but I always find the moment”, I’m not always very good in a game. It’s normal, we’re still human.’
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