Liverpool legend Ian Rush has said Mohamed Salah is the ‘best player in the world’ and is only going to get better.
Rush was speaking after Salah won his second Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award on Thursday evening. The Reds star has been in sensational form this season with 30 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances. Salah was voted FWA Footballer of the Year last week and collected his award at Thursday night’s ceremony having previously won the prize in the 2017/18 season. Rush was full of praise for Salah.
“He’s absolutely incredible to watch,” Rush told William Hill. “The last two or three years, he’s just got better and better. It’s no surprise to see him win the FWA award, he deserves it. He has this thing where he wants to improve all the time, he keeps himself incredibly fit and the way he conducts himself off the pitch is amazing as well.
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“In the last 10-15 years people have been talking about [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi and rightly so. But he [Salah] wants to be the best in the world and in my opinion this year Mo is the best player in the world. He’s always improving, he’s 29 now so he wants to improve. He keeps himself fit which is something in his favour.
“He’s also not just a goalscorer now - when he first arrived people thought, ‘he can score goals’. I think he’s scored 32 goals this season [this includes Salah’s two Africa Cup of Nations goals], but I think he’s the top assist-maker with 15 too. When you can add that, that’s how he’s improving. But it’s not just his overall play, he’s improving when he hasn’t got the ball. When he’s got the ball we all know what he can do, but when he hasn’t got the ball he’s improved a tremendous amount.”
Rush won five First Division titles, five League Cups, four Charity Shields, three FA Cups, two European Cups and one Football League Super Cup while at Anfield. He believes Salah would have fitted into that legendary Reds team.
Rush said: “Great players can play in great teams, no matter what the era, that’s what I always say. It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s the football brain you have. And he would have fit into our Liverpool team straight away. All legends, no matter what era, it’s about their football brain and they would adapt to the present day. And Mo would adapt to the way we played and that’s what makes him so special.”
With four Premier League games remaining, a Champions League final against Real Madrid and an FA Cup final versus Chelsea to come, and with the Carabao Cup already in the bag, Rush is full of excitement about the run-in. However he remains wary of the threat of Madrid.
He said: “It’s great to get to any final but to get to the Champions League final … most people probably didn't expect Real Madrid. Most people probably expected Manchester City. But it’s Real Madrid, they beat us a few years ago, so I think it’s a bit of payback time. It’s going to be a very tight game.
"When you look at Real Madrid, they’ve been down in so many games - Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Man City. They're a team that never gives up so nothing is going to surprise me in this game. I think there will be goals in it. But if we go 2-0, 3-0 up, don't take things for granted as we’ve seen what Real Madrid can do - they are the comeback kings.”
Rush was also ecstatic after Jurgen Klopp extended his contract with Liverpool last week and can see similarities with his time at the club, while he also continues to be amazed at the relentlessness of the German's squad. He said: “It’s absolutely fantastic. When you look at the season Liverpool have had, not just in all competitions but the way they play - the way they play is a joy to watch. When I go to Liverpool I keep on thinking, ‘it can’t be the same’, but it is. They keep on winning. Two finals to come, they've still got a chance to win the league. If you’re a Liverpool fan you’ve got to be really excited.
“Klopp’s just fantastic. I think every Liverpool fan is just happy he’s extended his contract. Like he says, he doesn’t talk about himself, he talks about his coaching staff as well. It reminds me of the modern-day ‘Boot Room’ [a famous meeting room at Anfield from the 1960s to early 1990s where Liverpool’s coaching staff would drink tea and discuss tactics]. In the 1980s we had Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Ronnie Moran, Roy Evans - so it’s more of an updated version of the ‘Boot Room’. He’s the first to give them congratulations when they do well. They work well as a team.”
