Gary Neville insists it would be a mistake to write Mohamed Salah off after his recent dip in form. Salah has scored 24 times in all competitions this season but is yet to get back to his best since returning from injury.
Salah started on the bench against West Ham on Saturday before entering the fray for the final 10 minutes. The Egyptian was visibly frustrated and exchanged angry words with boss Jürgen Klopp on the touchline.
The Liverpool talisman then refused to speak to the waiting media as he left the London Stadium, warning: “There’s going to be a fire today if I speak.” The incident sparked fresh speculation over his future, with Salah having just one year remaining on his Anfield contract.
He is likely to be the subject of fresh interest from Saudi Pro League clubs at the end of the campaign, with Liverpool having to decide whether to offer Salah a new deal, or look to move him on.
Salah will be 32 at the end of the season and Neville believes the demands of a long season are catching up on him. He likens the situation to that of Son Heung-min at Tottenham last term. The South Korean scored just four times in the first 23 Premier League matches before bouncing back.
“Mo Salah has just hit a brick wall, and again, we have got to be careful here. There is a player out here called Son, who I think hit a brick wall about 18 months ago, was it, or so where he looked like he was gone, he was struggling,” Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast.
“These players play so much football, they play so consistently. Salah has been almost ever-present for, like, six, seven years, it feels like. There just comes a point whereby they just need a break. That’s all I am seeing.
“It is too quick to say this is the end of Salah because I think we have done that before. He just looks like he has just run marathon after marathon after marathon in every season.
