Arne Slot reckons Mo Salah’s unflinching dedication to his fitness is allowing him to reach Cristiano Ronaldo-style levels of excellence – even if he plays every 72 hours.
And the Kop boss claims there’s no finer role model for emerging young Liverpool stars who will be at Anfield long after Salah has departed. When that will be is still anyone’s guess – with speculation leaning towards a parting of the ways with Salah out of contract at the end of the season.
For now, Slot is just enjoying every moment alongside the 32-year-old star – and watching the shimmering brilliance Salah brings to work every day. As Liverpool look to bounce back to winning ways against Wolves after their shock FA Cup defeat at Plymouth and a dramatic 2-2 draw at Everton, Salah’s hunger and desire to improve have left Slot in complete admiration.
And while he may be 32, age is just a number when it comes to his fitness mentality which, Slot believes, identifies Salah as younger than his years. “In certain things you can see he’s 32, and what I mean by that is that he is so experienced and so smart to know where the ball will fall” says Slot.
That’s a positive thing about being 32, that he has lived through so many situations that he just feels that the ball can fall there and he’s there, like the second goal at Everton. In other parts like how fit he is, what he does to be able to play every three days at his age… well.
“He’s not the only one who does that, I think Cristiano Ronaldo is still doing it at the age of 40, but Mo is also definitely an example – like Virgil Van Dijk – for our younger players. How fit they are and how able they are to bring their best performance out every three days.
But 32 is not old, old – for a football player it’s still a good age to be at, and Mo is proving that.” Slot’s stars are pumping out high levels of quality which has already delivered a Carabao Cup Final against Newcastle next month and a commanding Premier League lead.
But it’s clear Salah’s contribution this season – 22 goals and 14 assists in the League – make him the outstanding performer. “Every manager loves to work with the best players in the world because if you do an exercise or you try to have an idea about playing, these players can execute it even better.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible longevity is no accident (
Image: Al Nassr FC via Getty Images)
But what excites me most is that Mo is a very humble person who wants to work every day to become a better player. To come in knowing that you’re going to work with players who want to become better that’s what excites me most as a manager,
“Then, my efforts are useful, if they didn’t want to become better then my efforts would be useless.” With tough upcoming games against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle after Wolves, Slot has claimed Alexis Mac Allister is another inspirational character who can help shape Liverpool’s destiny this season.
And he believes at Everton, Mac Allister proved exactly why he’s a World Cup winner with Argentina. “The midfield all have their individual qualities, and together they are very strong, but it’s no coincidence that Macca won the World Cup.
In the most difficult circumstances he stood up. It was a hard, difficult game so for him to be so good, to fight so hard and be so mentally strong, that’s what you need if you want to win the World Cup.
“He stood up and that was one of the reasons he played so well. I don’t think he had 25 through passes and that’s what we sometimes see from him as well, but it was a game that was more about fighting and he was there, definitely.”