Former Watford striker Troy Deeney has made a bizarre claim regarding Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah, saying he doesn’t consider him “world-class”.
Salah has been at Anfield since the summer of 2017, during which time he has become one of the best footballers in the world, and one of the Reds’ greatest players of all time.
Now 32, the Egyptian continues to perform at a ridiculously high level, scoring eight goals and registering six assists in 11 Premier League appearances so far this season.
Despite this, Deeney can’t accept that Salah is a world-class player, explaining on talkSPORT why he can’t put him in that bracket:
“I think Mohamed Salah is excellent, he’s a pivotal part for Liverpool and they should never have let it [his expiring contract] get to this situation. But I understand that there’s a financial structure around what they want to try and keep to.
“My argument has always been that I just don’t think he’s world-class. But world class is just a different opinion, what I think of world class is would I want my kids to play like that player? That’s what I think is world-class.
“If I was asking my kids who want to be forwards, I would be saying I would like them to look at what Vinicius Jr does as opposed to Mohamed Salah. But his goals that he [Salah] scores, he scores an unbelievable amount of goals, he’s highly effective, but that’s just my opinion.”
Our thoughts on Deeney’s comments on Salah…
This is a frankly ludicrous opinion from Deeney, considering Salah has proven himself as a truly elite footballer for seven years now – he has 221 goals and 99 assists in 366 Liverpool appearances – continuing to smash records into his 30s.
The Reds icon scores and assists at such a relentless rate, while his winning mentality rubs off on those around him, with his teammates looking to match his dedication and professionalism.
Deeney is seemingly claiming that Salah isn’t on the level of someone like Vinicius Jr because he may not be as aesthetically pleasing, but substance comes before style, which is why he is among the best on the planet.
