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Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah with head coach Arne Slot(Image: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)

At first glance, it hardly seems the most glowing of tributes.

But then Mohamed Salah has made a habit of defying convention throughout his Liverpool career.

Salah's stay at Anfield will be extended by at least another two years after the Egyptian penning a new deal was confirmed on Friday.



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At approaching 33 years of age, the forward has had one of the best seasons of his career having netted 32 goals and contributed 22 assists in 45 appearances so far to help Liverpool take a commanding lead at the the Premier League summit with just seven games remaining.

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The work Salah puts in on maintaining his fitness, both at the AXA Training Centre and at home, has become the stuff of legend among those who follow the player's regular updates on social media.

And Liverpool boss Arne Slot is in no doubt about the unique nature of his leading goalscorer.

"He IS a physical freak," says the Dutchman.

(It's about) what he does physically, but also mentally, to stay at top of his game for a whole season, because it's very hard to do this a whole season every three days.

"That's why only one team can win the Champions League, only one team can win the league because it's so hard to do.

He needs another 42 goals to join Roger Hunt in second place the all-time Liverpool scorers list - the tally of 346 from number one marksman Ian Rush is out of reach - and is 29 off Harry Kane, who is second in the all-time Premier League standings.

"You never know if he’s going score exactly the same amount or a few more or few less, but we expect and he expects himself as well to stay at his levels," adds Slot.

"And a good thing about all this is that we didn't extend him two years ago at 31 and then say let's see how he is at 33.

So there's every reason to expect him to be at the same level at the start of next season."

Salah will aim to end a four-game run without a goal when Liverpool entertain West Ham United on Sunday afternoon aiming to bounce back from last weekend's 3-2 loss at Fulham, which was only the Reds' second Premier League defeat of the campaign.

Against just Manchester United has Salah scored more often for Liverpool than when facing the Hammers.

Slot could become only the fifth manager - after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini and Antonio Conte - to win the Premier League title in his first season in English football.

And the Liverpool head coach believes there is a very good reason why he has been able to hit the ground running when taking on the onerous task of following in the footsteps of Anfield legend Jurgen Klopp.

“From the start, I felt really welcome here and really happy here in the way we can work at this club with the staff, with the players, with the facilities," he says.
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