Rio Ferdinand claims one Liverpool star has been ‘disrespected’ under Jurgen Klopp
Rio Ferdinand thinks there has been ‘disrespect’ towards Mohamed Salah in recent weeks
Rio Ferdinand has been shocked by the “disrespect” shown to Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in recent weeks after a number of poor peformances.
The Reds have struggled in recent weeks with Jurgen Klopp’s side throwing away their chance of winning the Premier League title by picking up just five points from five matches before their victory over Tottenham at the weekend.
Salah scored one goal in those five matches against Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Everton and West Ham, while the Egypt international was also involved in a heated touchline exchange with Liverpool boss Klopp in their 2-2 draw against the Hammers.
The Liverpool forward was in better form on Sunday, helping the Reds beat Tottenham 4-2 by providing a goal and an assist to take his goal contributions to 38 in all competitions this season.
And Ferdinand thinks the recent criticism of Salah has been disrespectful and the former Man Utd centre-back thinks the Egyptian has still “been absolutely world class”.
“Can I just say something about Mo Salah – I think he’s been disrespected recently,” Ferdinand said on his Vibe With Five YouTube channel.
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“I’ve seen a lot of comments about him, I’ve seen people talking about him, caning him.
“I don’t think there’s been a debate that Mo Salah has been world class for a number of years.
“Maybe this season he’s tailed off but in his pomp years at Liverpool, absolutely world class.
“Real Madrid only win that Champions League final [in 2018] because he came off injured. Up until that moment he came off injured Liverpool were on the front foot, as soon as he came off everything changed.
“His numbers are off the charts, I don’t understand it, it’s unbelievable. Mo Salah I think has been so disrespected.
“I saw Graeme Souness, Troy Deeney and Simon Jordan, I couldn’t believe the disrespect I was seeing about him, I couldn’t believe it, they were talking about him like he’s just any guy.
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“I think he’s been absolutely world class, you can’t do those numbers. They’ll sit there and say, ‘Harry Kane’s world class over the years’. Mo Salah’s numbers will be similar around Harry Kane over the last six or seven years but Mo Salah has been winning things, he’s won a league, Champions League, trophies across the board while doing that.
“I don’t know how you can debate if Mo Salah has been world class at any point in his career at Liverpool, it’s off the scale to even question him, I don’t care, it’s mad, he’s won trophies, he’s the player who decides games for them consistently and he has done it at the top level.”
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