Pep Lijnders says Liverpool should ‘cherish’ Mohamed Salah and has called the forward ‘a very special player’.
Salah has started the season in fine form and has scored or assisted in each of Liverpool’s first six fixtures of the Premier League campaign, becoming just the fifth player to have achieved the feat.
That run has extended his record to 12 consecutive Premier League games with a goal involvement dating back to last season, with the Egypt international having produced incredible consistency across his six seasons at Anfield.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s fixture with Leicester in the Carabao Cup, Liverpool assistant Lijnders said the club should cherish Salah – who was subject of a £150m bid from the Saudi Pro League during the summer – while he remains on Merseyside.
“He is breaking record after record and we have a very special player on our hands and a mentor as well. A leader,” Lijnders said at a pre-game press conference.
“You see the skills, I see him in the building, I see him in the gym, coming in early. I see a real professional with experience as a man who can lead this team, without being the captain.
“It is special he is with us and every game he plays, we should cherish these players. He can create something out of nothing and he is an excellent person.
“When he smiles, I know that the ball will smile as well. He will decide games for us.”