It was the season that drove Mohamed Salah to the very edges of his physical limits, and yet still, the Liverpool star wants to keep pushing.
It's been an emotional couple of weeks for the 31-goal Reds star. After being forced to withdraw from the FA Cup final after just half an hour against Chelsea on May 14, Salah returned as a second-half substitute in the win over Wolves on the final day of the season.
His close-range poaching in that 3-1 win on May 22 could have been the goal that clinched the Premier League title for Jurgen Klopp's men, and the wild celebrations of the man so affectionately known as the 'Egyptian King' suggested he thought as much as he wheeled away at the Kop End after making it 2-1 inside the final 10 minutes.
Manchester City's five-minute, three-goal salvo against Aston Villa that turned the title picture on its head inside the final 15 minutes of an exacting yet thrilling Premier League title race put paid to Salah's hopes of landing a second domestic crown in England.
Salah's dreams would be thwarted further in the bowels of the Stade de France on Saturday night as Thibaut Courtois pulled off a string of impressive saves to ensure Real Madrid's name was carved on to the Champions League trophy.
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"I cannot express in words how much we wanted to bring that trophy back to Liverpool but in the end we couldn’t." Salah posted on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. "I cannot thank the fans enough for your support. It has been a very long season but a part of me wishes the next one starts again tomorrow."
Salah may want next season to begin this weekend, but he, perhaps more than any other in the Liverpool squad, can benefit most of the upcoming holiday time afforded to them.
He continued: "Being recognised by the fans and by the sports journalists in the same season is something special that I will never forget. I would however give all those personal awards up for a chance at replaying that final, but that is not how football works."
One thing is for certain, at least, Liverpool can count on Salah to go again when the action resumes in August. The Premier League's Golden Boot winner may be about to enter his 30s this month, but he will show no signs of slowing down next term.
A full rest - one that is well earned - will renew the vigour of Salah when pre-season starts next month and while the off-field issues around his contract will continue to rumble on in the background, the player himself, you fancy, will be emboldened more than ever before as he aims to seek a measure of retribution for missing out on the two biggest prizes in football by a whisker.
It's understood that talks between Salah's representatives and Liverpool have not taken place in person since December. The club took the decision at some point over the last few months to shelve all talk about the future of their squad as the focus honed in what could have been an unprecedented campaign at the time.
It's believed there was an acceptance within the Liverpool squad of just what was at stake in the final weeks of the season as they chased an FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League to add to their already-secured League Cup. And as such, a collective agreement was established not to rock the boat publicly with stories of contract unrest.
Now, though, the attention has turned back to a host of players whose futures are, to varying degrees, up in the air this summer. For Salah himself, he nailed his colours to the mast early.
"In my mind, I don't focus on contracts at the moment," he said a little over a week ago. "I don't want to be selfish. It's about the team, an important week. I am staying next season for sure, that's clear."
The Liverpool star is settled in the north west and it is understood he remains hopeful of new terms being thrashed out with the club before he is able to walk away in 12 months as a free agent.
That prospect, however, is one that should make Fenway Sports Group 's collective blood run cold. To lose a player of his brilliance when he would prefer to remain would be viewed dimly across the entire club's fanbase.
FSG have communicated their desire to ensure that Salah remains a Liverpool player but chairman Tom Werner and principal owner, John W Henry, are leaving the specifics of the negotiations up to those on the ground day to day at Anfield.
FSG president Mike Gordon is instead overseeing the talks with Salah's camp, but as of yet a resolution does not appear to be nearing. It's one that everyone connected to the club simply must find.
And given Salah 's determination to bounce back next season from his disappointing few weeks, it might not be long before Liverpool's owners are reminded of just why this should be priority No.1. The quiet time of the next few weeks could be the ideal time to strike an agreement then.
