Jurgen Klopp has described Mo Salah as irreplaceable and believes the Egyptian’s staggering Premier League feats for Liverpool will go unmatched.
The German was Liverpool’s manager in June 2017 when Salah moved to Anfield for £36.9million; if the signing was initially viewed as being underwhelming, his achievements and trophies over the subsequent nine years now see him regarded as one of the club’s all-time greats.
Salah announced on Tuesday he will leave Liverpool at the end of the current campaign and is taking his time about what to do next; Klopp believes the 33-year-old has the physical capacities – and strength of mind – to play for “another six or seven years somewhere if he wants”.
Klopp has returned fleetingly to Merseyside in his capacity as an honorary LFC Foundation ambassador; he has attended a series of charity events and will be in the Anfield dugout for today’s sold-out legends game against his old club Borussia Dortmund but he couldn’t escape talk of Salah.
‘Yes, this specific kind of player is irreplaceable,’ said Klopp. ‘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 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, ridiculous. For a striker they are pretty much unmatched. That’s how it is. So, if it is impossible, why should you try?’
Klopp added: ‘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. He is an all-time great. One day we will have a legends team with all these current players in and it will be good fun.’