Former Liverpool player and manager Graeme Souness believes Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard is the best player in the Premier League above Mohamed Salah.
Hazard has been instrumental as Maurizio Sarri’s side sit fourth, eight points adrift Liverpool, who are currently occupying top spot in the league after leapfrogging Man City at the weekend.
Why does Souness believe Hazard is better than Salah? Five things to know…
- Both players have started the season like a house on fire; Salah with 10 Premier League goals; Hazard with seven.
- Earlier this month Salah reached a landmark 50 league goals for the Reds.
- But Souness has stated he would choose the Belgian over Liverpool’s prodigiously talented forward due to his “all-round play.”
- Hazard has not found the back of the net since the start of October but has played a focal role as Chelsea sit fourth.
- At present, no player has created more chances (44), registered more assists from open play (6) or completed more passes ending in the final third (477) than Hazard in the league.
There were discernible question marks at the start of the campaign whether Salah would be able to replicate the record-breaking exploits of his maiden year on Merseyside.
Well, those doubts have been well and truly put to bed, as the 26-year-old currently leads the goalscoring pack, having found the back of the net 10 times this season in the Premier League – joint with Arsenal marksman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Egyptian scored a sensational hat-trick against Bournemouth at the weekend, but Souness believes Hazard, who is currently on a 12-game goal drought, is the better player due to his overall ability.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the former Liverpool midfielder said: “If I could take one it would be Eden Hazard. I think Salah will be a better goalscorer but in terms of all-round play (Hazard).”
Souness: Salah has the potential to be Liverpool great
There have been some greats to walk through the hallowed halls of Anfield over the years, and while Salah has been breaking a plethora of club records, he is still only in his second season with the Reds.
As such, Souness believes the Egyptian is not yet in that bracket, but were he to continue producing for the club in years to come, then he could forever etch his name in Anfield folklore.
He added: “He is fabulous but it’s only his second year. Come back in five years. When you talk about those Liverpool greats, they had players who won everything.
“Some great team men, great goalscorers, longevity.
“This is only Salah’s second season but I do believe he has the potential to be in that category.”
Currently sitting atop the league, the Edinburgh-born pundit further accredited the club’s ascent to the recruitment of a world-class goalkeeper as well as Virgil van Dijk.
“Right now they are playing fabulous football,” he said. “There has been an improvement — they made a quantum leap with a new goalkeeper and centre-half.
“They are ready to challenge. Klopp still has to win stuff, and he knows that, but he now has a lot of goodwill and so he should. Their football can get me on the edge of my seat.”
Liverpool play host to Man Utd on Sunday, while Chelsea face an away trip to Brighton.
The post Eden Hazard is still better than top-scorer Mohamed Salah, says Graeme Souness appeared first on Squawka News.
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