Mohamed Salah is set to be unleashed on his favourite opponents in Manchester United on Sunday as he the Liverpool forward looks to kickstart his season after a below-par campaign to date but memorable international break with Egypt
Theo Squires was appointed Liverpool FC Writer for the Liverpool ECHO in 2021, after covering EURO 2020 at Wembley as England reached their first major men's final since 1966. A senior football journalist, Theo joined the ECHO's sports team from Bolton Wanderers in 2018, having previously spent four seasons in the former Premier League side's communications team where he ran the club's website and social media channels. A regular in the Anfield press box since joining the ECHO, since being promoted to Liverpool FC Writer, Theo has reported on Jurgen Klopp's side as they won the FA Cup and League Cup at Wembley, and competed in the 2022 Champions League final in Paris. A regular on the Blood Red podcast, Theo has also conducted a number of exclusive interviews during his time with the ECHO, speaking to the likes of Roger Hunt, Nicolas Anelka, and Alberto Aquilani.
Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah
Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah
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Liverpool will be desperate to return to winning ways on Sunday as they host bitter-rivals Manchester United in their first game after the October international break. The Reds, who have not been at their best all season long, lost three successive matches for the first time under Arne Slot prior to the latest pause in club action.
Having overseen a £450m spending spree this summer which saw Liverpool bring in 10 new players, it is hardly a surprise that the Slot’s new-look Reds side have taken time to gel.
But the Dutchman can at least be encouraged by the fact that the majority of his players went on to impress with their countries during the international break despite their below-par campaigns to date at Anfield.
Cody Gakpo scored three goals and registered an assist for the Netherlands across their two clashes with Malta and Finland, with Virgil van Dijk also getting on the scoresheet in the latter.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stoppage-time equaliser and also recorded an assist in Hungary’s 2-2 draw with Portugal, while Alexis Mac Allister netted a brace in Argentina’s 6-0 friendly win over Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Hugo Ekitike marked his full debut for France with an assist against Azerbaijan, while Andy Robertson set up Scotland’s winning goal in their 2-1 victory over Belarus.
But the Liverpool player returning to the AXA Training Centre with arguably the biggest spring in his step will be Mohamed Salah.
The 33-year-old scored twice as Egypt won 3-0 away at Djibouti to qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. His brace saw him become the all-time leading goalscorer in African qualification, and also earned him a rest for the Pharaohs' final qualifier against Guinea-Bissau.
That did not stop the forward from joining his team-mates back in his homeland to final qualifier and then help lead the celebrations as they celebrated qualifying for the World Cup for only the fourth time in their history.
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah
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Salah arguably has unfinished business on football’s biggest stage. He also scored the goal to send Egypt to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but saw his finals ultimately disrupted after infamously suffering a Sergio Ramos-inflicted shoulder injury in Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.
Such an issue came at the end of a record-breaking first season on Merseyside as the forward scored a sensational 44 goals from just 52 appearances.
While such a haul remains untouched, the Egyptian produced arguably his best campaign since that maiden season on Merseyside last time out, returning 34 goals and 23 assists from 52 appearances in all competitions as he helped fire the Reds to a second Premier League title.
Salah has been unable to replicate such returns so far this season, with the forward admitting publicly it will take time for him to forge connections with his new team-mates following the departures of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.
He has come in for criticism as a result of his muted displays, though does still boast three goals and three assists from his 10 outings to date.
If you include his international appearances, his haul for the campaign stands at six goals and three assists from 13 outings. But that has not saved the forward from scrutiny with some onlookers quick to write Salah off after he signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool earlier this year which will take him to just shy of his 35th birthday.
Natural decline is to be expected, and the 33-year-old has been written off many times before.
Discarded as a ‘one-season wonder’ by some following his first season with the Reds, his remarkable consistency across his eight years at Anfield quickly made a mockery of such claims.
But as a result, some have been quick to pounce on his drop-off so far this season compared to previous campaigns.
Jamie Carragher is not one of them though. While he has been concerned by Salah’s form so far this season, the Liverpool legend has seen this before - and knows how it usually ends.
“Liverpool have been basking in the glow of the Mohamed Salah era for the past seven years,” he wrote in his latest column for The Telegraph. “The next seven weeks will give us an indication as to how much longer that will last.
“Salah is off form, the goals have dried up, and he does not look the same player as last season... There are valid causes for concern following recent performances.
“There are also valuable lessons from Salah’s career which serve as a warning to those prematurely predicting a decline.
“Do not write off Salah too soon because he has a habit of making criticism look silly.
“This is not the first time questions have been asked about how long Salah can continue to produce at the highest level…
“Many Liverpool supporters wondered if, given Salah’s age, it would have been wiser to cash in and sell him to Saudi Arabia. Within a year, Salah was inspiring Liverpool to another Premier League title and winning both Player of the Year awards…
“If there is one club which will fear negative appraisals of Salah’s form more than any, it is this weekend’s visitors to Anfield, Manchester United.”
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Carragher is not wrong. The Red Devils are very much Salah’s favourite opponents, with the Egyptian scoring a career-best 16 goals against Liverpool’s bitter-rivals from just 17 appearances.
Most memorably this includes a hat-trick at Old Trafford in a 5-0 thrashing back in October 2021, while he also boasts six assists. And perhaps even more impressively, all 22 goal contributions have actually come from his last 13 meetings with Manchester United.
With 19 of those goal contributions coming in the Premier League, Salah could make history on Sunday. Only five players have recorded 20+ goal involvements against a single opponent in the revamped English top-flight since 1992: Les Ferdinand (20 vs Everton), Alan Shearer (21 vs both Everton and Leeds United), Frank Lampard (21 vs Bolton Wanderers), Harry Kane (22 vs Leicester City) and Wayne Rooney (23 vs Newcastle United).
A clash with United then could be exactly what Salah needs to kickstart his season into life. While he has not been at his best this season, his international exploits could already have proven to be just what the doctor ordered ahead of being unleashed on his favourite foes.
And with Liverpool looking to return to winning ways, United cannot say they have not been warned.
Natural decline is coming for Salah, with his Reds career inevitably closer to end than beginning. But write off the Egyptian King at your peril.