Mohamed Salah is out of contract in the summer despite enjoying an excellent season for Liverpool
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Updated 12:30, 12 Dec 2024
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Mohamed Salah of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Liverpool FC at St James' Park on December 4, 2024
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock says that there will be no need for the Reds to find a replacement for Mohamed Salah next summer - because the Egyptian will stay be at Anfield after signing a new contract with the club.
Salah is in exceptional form this season, scoring 16 times and notching 12 assists in the opening months of the campaign to spearhead Liverpool's ascent to the top of the Premier League and Champions League tables.
However with his contract running out in the summer and no agreement reached as of yet, Reds supporters remain anxious about the 32-year-old's future.
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But Warnock, who made 67 appearances for Liverpool after coming through the Academy system, is convinced that Salah will remain with the club beyond his current deal.
Asked who he thought could replace Salah if the Egyptian leaves the club, Warnock replied: “I don’t have to answer who I think will replace Mohamed Salah – because he will be at Liverpool.
"I think the contract situation will get resolved. You can see on his face that he’s happy when he’s playing for the club and I think he wants to get the contract signed. Even when he came out to the media, it was a ‘I don’t want to go – I want to be here!’
“If he leaves, I don’t know where he would go to be honest. I know there were a few links with Paris Saint-Germain but I don’t know whether they’d go down that route with his age. I just don’t see him leaving Liverpool and I think he’ll stay there."
Another player whose contract expires in 2025 is Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the homegrown full-back a target for Real Madrid. Liverpool do have competition for Alexander-Arnold in Conor Bradley, who has shone at right-back since breaking into the team last season.
But Warnock isn't convinced that the Northern Irishman can be a long-term replacement for Alexander-Arnold, citing his injury record - Bradley is currently sidelined with a hamstring complaint - as a cause for concern.
Warnock told BetBrain: “I think Conor Bradley certainly has the ability to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold if he leaves Liverpool, but the big concern for me is his injury record. I don't know if he's robust enough to cement that right-back position down because of all the injuries he picks up.
“In terms of attributes, he 100% has the ability to do it, but from a physical aspect I have my doubts. Obviously the more you play the more robust your body gets, and it could be a case of exposing him to more football to build him up, but there’s also a danger of the opposite effect happening and his body letting him down even more.”