Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp cannot afford to drop “struggling” Mohamed Salah, according to former Reds midfielder Paul Ince.
Salah, who won the Premier League’s Golden Boot in his debut season for Liverpool with 32 goals, has been in slightly underwhelming form at the start of the current campaign.
The Egyptian has managed just three goals in his first 11 games for the Reds, with his performances more worrying than the goal return at times.
And Ince believes Salah is suffering as Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is, due to exhaustion following a busy summer.
“Yeah, Salah’s struggling, but he’s an outstanding player,” he told the Express.
“You can’t drop him as you need to keep those three (Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane) together.
“He was injured at the end of last season and maybe wasn’t fully fit for Egypt.
“I know Pogba was great for France but he’s not been as impressive for United.
“That could be because of the World Cup.
“I’ve played in these tournaments and they’re far from easy. They’re draining and can be exhausting.
“That could be why Salah is struggling and possibly Pogba too.”
The worries surrounding Salah continued into the international break, with the forward picking up an injury while representing Egypt. However, it is not feared to be serious.
Liverpool will be hoping he can return to fitness for when the Reds face Huddersfield Town on Saturday, looking to end a four-game winless run across all competitions.
Salah’s under-par start
While it was always going to be hard for Salah to duplicate the form he had last season, the Egyptian has still performed slightly under where many expected him to be.
Last season in the Premier League, the Egyptian averaged a very impressive 0.99 goals per 90 from 4.44 shots, while also creating an average of 1.91 chances per 90.
Whereas this season, Salah’s three Premier League goals have come at an average of 0.4 per 90 and taking 4.27 shots. The Egyptian has, however, been slightly more creative with 2.27 chances created per 90 this season.
The post Are Mohamed Salah and Paul Pogba in the same boat? “Can be exhausting” appeared first on Squawka News.
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