Newcastle helped to create the monster that is Mohamed Salah by giving him a brutal introduction to English football over a decade ago. Salah will be Liverpool's main man when they face the Magpies in this weekend's Carabao Cup final. They will be looking to win their first trophy under Arne Slot, while Newcastle will be desperate to claim their first major honour since 1969.
Salah has arguably been the world's best player this season, having contributed with 32 goals and 22 assists in all competitions. He has been Liverpool's shining light ever since he moved to Anfield in 2017, but he initially took a while to get acquainted with the English game.
A move to Chelsea in 2014 failed to work out as planned, with Salah struggling to adapt to the demands of Premier League football. He made his debut against Newcastle, coming off the bench for the last 12 minutes, and was left shocked by the level of physicality on show.
Recalling the fixture in a recent interview with Optus Sport, Salah said: "I remember the first game I played, it was against Newcastle. I just got tackled on the sideline like: 'Boom', and I thought: 'How am I going to survive here? I need to go to the gym'.
"I know that is very intense, but I love it in a way. There’s space there, we can play and enjoy football. It’s not like other leagues, like the Italian league is very compact, but I love the games with the speed and the intensity."
Salah failed to make the grade at Chelsea and was loaned to Fiorentina and then Roma, who he joined permanently in the summer of 2016. He returned to the Premier League with Liverpool the following season and the rest, as they say, is history.
His future at Anfield remains far from certain, though, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the campaign. A breakthrough in talks is yet to materialise, meaning Salah will be leaving Liverpool on a free transfer as things stand.
It has led to renewed speculation that a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia could be on the cards. Al-Ittihad are known to be huge admirers, having seen a nine-figure bid rejected in the summer of 2023, but it remains to be seen where Salah will go ahead of next season.