Former Liverpool great Graeme Souness says Mohamed Salah will leave Anfield this summer as he noted how some of the Egyptian’s worst characteristics have come to a head in recent weeks.
Salah’s future has again been under the microscope after he netted just once in the Reds’ last five Premier League games, as they dropped nine out of 15 points to drop out of the title race.
This included a flare-up on the West Ham touchline with outgoing boss Jurgen Klopp when Salah was introduced with just 11 minutes to go.
And while Souness is quick to praise Salah for what he has accomplished during his stellar seven-year career at Anfield, there was some criticism for the 31-year-old.
“I believe Mohamed Salah is off and leaving Liverpool,” Souness told William Hill .
“He has been fabulous for Liverpool, but if he leaves to the Saudi Pro League then he’ll be the biggest star in that part of the world.”
“He no doubt has an exceptionally large opinion of himself, and he’ll have been angry at not starting the game against West Ham last week. I think the situation with Jürgen Klopp was a reaction to only being brought on with 10 minutes to go – it was more Salah than it was Klopp in that confrontation.”
Souness added that Salah has a selfish streak - but the Scot does not see that as a problem.
“Salah is the most selfish player I have ever witnessed,” he added. “Even prior to that game, whenever Klopp takes him off, he is never happy about it.
“That is what you want from your players, if you take them off on two goals, they should want to stay on to score a third. When Sadio Mané was there they’d fall out all the time.
“Salah has been world class in his time at Liverpool. Goals change games and his goals have had an enormous influence on Liverpool since he’s been at the club. I think he still gets into the Arsenal team and certainly would’ve gotten into the Manchester City team over the past five years.
But Souness’ biggest issue with Salah’s recent play is a mental fragility which believes has been a symptom of the whole Liverpool side during a disappointing run-in which saw their quadruple dream crash and burn.
“When the going gets tough and another player puts it on him, Salah will disappear from a game,” Souness added. “Last season at Old Trafford Lisandro Martínez went through him early on, and for the rest of the game Salah was looking over his shoulder for Martínez – he doesn’t like that side of the game. He’ll never get himself hurt.
“It ties into the fact that in the last two weeks Liverpool have shown something that I didn’t think they were capable of, they’re getting bullied. It happened when they got beaten 3-0 at Anfield by Atalanta and it happened against Everton at Goodison Park not so long ago. Everton had too much passion and aggression and Liverpool got bullied again. You have to be mean and angry to play football, but for whatever reason that has gone completely from Liverpool’s game. That is the difference between winning and losing matches.
“As a Liverpool player, if there’s one game where you need to turn up with aggression and fight, it is against Everton. Of all the games not to turn up, to perform like that against Everton is unacceptable.”
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