Mohamed Salah has enhanced one of his attributes to make himself ‘unplayable’ this season, according to Gary Neville.
The Liverpool star has been smashing records and became their joint-third-highest scorer ever in the 2-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday.
The 32-year-old star is the top scorer in the Premier League with 25 goals and leads the way on assists with 16 – both by a margin of six over his nearest rival.
His performances this season have come amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding his future as his contract expires at the end of the campaign, a shock for a player who is in strong contention for the Ballon d’Or with Liverpool eyeing the Premier League, Champions League, and Carabao Cup crowns.
And for Neville, Salah has improved his strength to the point where he is making some of the league’s top players look like ‘little boys’.
‘He’s been class for five, six, seven, eight, nine years, however long he’s been at Liverpool,’ the Manchester United legend said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
Mo Salah has become ‘unplayable’ due to his strength, making men look like ‘little boys’
Liverpool’s hero is breaking records at an alarming rate and leads the scoring and assist charts
Gary Neville says Salah’s game has become ‘so polished and so perfect’ despite being 32
‘When I watch him at the moment, he’s unplayable.
‘Psychologically, he’s in the head of the opponent he’s up against.
‘You know when you play against someone where you think, “I’m going to smash him, I’m going to knock him, I’m going to go through him” – you can’t, he’s like a brick wall.
‘That ball gets played up to him 40, 50 yards from Alisson into his chest, and he’s holding (Josko) Gvardiol off, who is 6ft 3in, like he’s a little boy, and he’s been doing that all season. I’ve maybe not seen that in the past.
‘I know he’s always been strong and always got a great low centre of gravity, and he’s got strength at length, as I used to say. Sometimes, players you’d play against as a full-back, you used to think that what they’d do as a winger, they were quite slight.
‘Salah’s not, but he probably is compared to Gvardiol, and he puts his arm out, and you think: “I can’t even move!” And that’s what Salah is at this moment in time.
‘When the ball gets pinged over from (Virgil) Van Dijk in the second half, an 80-yard pass, you just know he’s going to bring it down instantly on a sixpence.
‘Everything is so polished and so perfect and so slow. And when I say slow, being in the final third is the most frantic place on the football pitch, but everything just feels so composed and slow-motion when he’s on the ball.
Salah popped up with a goal and an assist as Liverpool beat Manchester City 2-0 on Sunday
Neville has compared him to Man United icon Eric Cantona for his game-winning ability
‘You know he’s going to play the pass at the right moment, you know it’s going to be the right weight of pass, you know he’s going to play the right cross, you know he’s going to be efficient in his shooting.
‘He’s absolutely at the top of his game, he’s a different level than anything else in the league this season in terms of his performance levels. He’s world-class.
‘Liverpool will be desperate to try and keep him. He’s one of the best players the Premier League has seen. That’s 11 games this season he’s had a goal and an assist, it’s amazing, absolutely amazing.
‘You always have to be the most grateful for the player that wins you the match, because that’s the most difficult and special thing. That’s what Salah has gone and done.’
Neville, speaking after Liverpool had moved 11 points clear at the top with their victory at City, also compared the Egyptian to a former Man United team-mate.
‘When I look back at my career, particularly my first title season when (Eric) Cantona scored single goals, you just thought, that’s the difference player,’ he said.
‘The player that delivers at the most challenging moment, at the crux of the season, where the title is on the line, you’re playing the best teams, who is going to stand up and win you the match? That’s what Salah is for Liverpool.
‘That’s what world-class looks like. You turn up in the biggest moments, and he’s done that here at City.’
