Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah during their time together at Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah during their time together at Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp believes Mohamed Salah is irreplaceable and that it will be impossible for Liverpool to buy a player like him this summer.
after they reached an agreement over the final year of his contract.
signed the Egyptian from Roma in June 2017 and was his manager for seven seasons.
Under the German, Salah won the , the , three domestic cups, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!
And when asked on Friday afternoon at an LFC Foundation event how his former club could go about replacing the 33-year-old, who has scored 255 goals in 435 games for the Reds, Klopp replied: “This specific kind of player is irreplaceable. That’s always how it is.
“There will be a void that somebody will fill. It’s always in our minds how much time, how much space – yeah, how much time do we give to whoever is going to play there in whatever system the manager will play?
“But the specific player, Mo Salah? I’m not sure there is even another one existing out there.
“There are other people playing on that wing with different strengths, different qualities, but it is the numbers he produces – they are unmatched from that position.
“I don’t know if there was ever any player who had that (from there). You tell him he is a winger or a striker he says: 'No, no, no I am a winger'. The numbers for a winger (are) ridiculous. For a striker, they are pretty much unmatched. That’s how it is.
Jurgen Klopp was speaking to reporters including the ECHO at the LFC Foundation event at the Anfield Sports and Community Centre (Image: Iain Watts)
“So, if it is impossible, why should you try? I’m not in the role to advise anyone. But just bring players in and play the kind of football which can be successful. That is pretty much everything.
“We lost Sadio Mane. We could sing a song about him. What a player he was!
“Bobby Firmino – Oh. My. God. On the day Gini (Georginio Wijnaldum) went, probably none of you thought: 'That's a big miss', until he was not there anymore and then you thought: 'Oh! He was the combination of technique, power, tactical discipline and all these kinds of things'.
“Then Hendo () left. Some thought: 'Good! It’s time!' Milly () went and did all these kind of things. That’s just how it is.
“But other players came in: Macca (Alexis Mac Allister), Ryan (Gravenberch), Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai). That’s how it is. Don’t try to chase the shadows. Find a new way and play.”