Salah’s struggle early in the season was due to his shoulder injury
Mohamed Salah was on target once again as Liverpool claimed all three points with a 2-0 victory over Wolves on Friday to move four points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings.
The Egyptian wizard scored as many as 32 goals in the Premier League last term but the 26-year-old struggled to hit the ground running in the opening stages of the ongoing campaign. However, he has now rediscovered his mojo as a prolific goalscorer and recorded his 14th goal of the season across all competitions with the opener against Wolves on Friday.
And Jurgen Klopp believes that Salah’ struggle in the initial stages of the season was due to the shoulder injury that he suffered in the UEFA Champions League final last season.
“He is young enough to involve a lot more things in his game. It’s not just speed, it’s not just finishing, it’s keeping the ball,” Klopp told reporters at a news conference ahead of Newcastle United’s Boxing Day visit to Anfield.
“But you need your body for that and that was the only problem with Mo at the beginning of the season. Part of his body was still not perfect.
“If you work in an office and your shoulder is not 100 per cent, it’s okay. If you are a professional football player, it just takes 10-15 per cent away.
“He’s still a world-class player but we knew we had to wait until the moment when everything was fine again.”
When asked about the change in Salah’s role from the right to the central position in the attack, Klopp said, “It’s good. He had to adapt a bit to a slightly different position. Not that different, but slightly. We need his link-up play.”
“He still has that desire and the speed in the first few yards, which is impressive. And of course, he is a very important part of our finishing situations.”
