Liverpool legend Ian Rush believes Mohamed Salah doesn't need to contemplate exiting Anfield as he once did. Having bid farewell to Liverpool twice— one brief stint with Juventus in 1987, followed by a move to Leeds in 1996 — Rush is no stranger to departures.
Despite feeling homesick, which led to his quick return after first leaving for Italy, the second departure was driven by a hunger for regular playtime rather than a lack of love for the club. With Salah solidifying his status amongst Liverpool greats over the past seven years, Rush sees no reason for him to follow similar paths.
The iconic striker shared his sentiments with the ECHO last year: "I'd love him to extend his contract. We don't know what will happen but I'm sure every Liverpool supporter would love that as well."
The all-time top scorer at Liverpool explained his decisions were never about dissatisfaction, stating: "I left because I wasn't playing regularly. I just wanted to play football. I didn't want to sit on the bench and that's what you've got to look at. I left here to go to Leeds United because I wanted to be playing week in, week out."
Rush elaborated further, considering his colleagues' success at the time: "I looked at [Robbie] Fowler and [Stan] Collymore, they were doing really well together, and I didn't want to be sitting on the bench. I was enjoying my football and that's the reason why I went to Leeds."
While recognizing the differences in each player's journey, the football legend made his stance on Salah very clear, insisting: "But that was my situation; it depends if you are happy sitting on the bench or not. But Mo's not even got to that stage yet so no, there's not really any reason for him to go yet."
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah (Image: Getty Images)
Even at 32, Mo Salah isn't showing any signs of decline and currently sits third on Liverpool's all-time top goalscorer list. Despite being a fair distance behind Rush's record, he's entering a critical phase of his career with his contract heading towards its close, which means foreign clubs are poised to enter talks soon.
The words of encouragement continued to flow from Rush last month at The Northwest Football Awards, as he shared with the Daily Mail: "Me and Mo speak quite a lot. People talk about whether he's staying or going but I just enjoy watching him on the pitch."
Rush added, admiringly: "He's a joy to watch. You think he hasn't done anything for 20 minutes, then he pops up with a goal or two. You can't buy that. That's special and he's a special player. Everyone wants him to stay."
Liverpool.com says: Tying Salah down to a new deal at Anfield is simply the obvious thing to do. Negotiating an acceptable contract, though, is not always easy, especially with only six months or so left on the existing agreement. Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold being in the same position contract-wise will only complicate things even further, but there is still time.