2 weeks ago
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Gary Neville has expressed surprise that it's Mohamed Salah's technical skills, rather than his physical prowess, that seem to be waning as he gets older.
This comes after the Liverpool forward drew another blank on Sunday. The Reds were left reeling by Manchester United at Anfield, marking their fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions. Salah appears to be a mere shadow of his former self, compared to last year when he had the second most successful season of his career.
Despite turning 33 in the summer, the Egyptian showed no signs of slowing down and signed a new contract in April. However, his form has taken a sharp downturn, with only two goals in eight Premier League appearances this season.
Salah is well-known for his commitment to maintaining his physique, often posting photos of late-night recovery sessions. Neville believes that based on his physical condition, Salah could continue playing for several more years.
However, he noted that the player's technical abilities seem to be slipping, citing a poor miss in Sunday's match. On his podcast, Neville commented: "There are questions being asked about him, whether it's his age, whether it's one season too many.
"But the strange thing in watching Salah is usually a player getting towards the end of his career, what you notice is the physical decline.
"I'm not seeing a physical decline - some of his sprints look quite sharp, he looks busy in the box. But crazy things like the ball comes to the back post... his technique on his kicking and his crossing, that's the thing that looks well off.
"There were a couple of moments today at the back post where you're thinking, 'That's not Mo Salah.' He had that moment where he dragged it really ugly towards the left of the post. That's just his technique.
"Mo Salah could probably play until he's 52 and have good technique, so that's the bit that's surprising me, the technical bit."
Salah no longer possesses the unquestionable standing he previously enjoyed.
On Sunday, just sixty seconds after United regained its advantage, Arne Slot withdrew the attacker and brought on Jeremie Frimpong despite Liverpool being in desperate need of an equalizer.
Jamie Carragher has proposed that Salah ought to be a consistent selection for home fixtures, when Liverpool is anticipated to control proceedings, but urged for his removal from the squad for particular away matches.
The Egyptian has been relieved of defensive duties as he's aged, but this is currently damaging the side.
The former Liverpool player turned pundit declared: "I don't think Mo Salah's in any position to complain if he was left out of one of the next two away games."
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