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Gary Neville has dismissed suggestions that Mohamed Salah's 'legs might have gone' following the Egyptian forward's sluggish start to the campaign.
Arne Slot's squad has experienced a challenging opening to life following their Premier League title triumph during the 2024/2025 season. Liverpool began impressively - securing victories in its opening five league fixtures - but the tide swiftly turned as it proceeded to suffer four consecutive defeats.
New arrivals such as Florian Wirtz are still adjusting to Premier League football, in contrast to Hugo Ekitike, whilst reliable performers like Salah have found it difficult to rediscover their peak form since August.
With rumors circulating about his future and doubts over whether he can sustain his elevated standards, at 33, Salah's display against Aston Villa seemed to signal a watershed moment.
Speaking on The Overlap and Betfair's Stick to Cricket show, Neville maintained Salah still has considerable quality to contribute.
He said: "Mo Salah is starting to be more efficient, but he has lost a little bit of how he used to be.
"Liverpool have dipped a bit, I think they'll be alright because I think Salah and Van Dijk at some point will click.
"I think they've got a spine of players that I think will click.
"Salah's not kicked a ball yet, really, for them, when he starts to go, things will click.
"I keep hearing that Salah's legs might have gone. Cristiano Ronaldo's still scoring goals even though he's older, so I think what Salah's starting to do is be more efficient. He's starting to sort of hang around that area where he scores, but he's lost a little bit."
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Last season - which kicked off amid speculation over whether Salah would pen fresh terms - the attacker notched his second-best goal haul ever, silencing questions about his staying power.
Salah will be hoping to maintain his impressive weekend form into tonight's fixture when Liverpool faces Real Madrid in the Champions League in what promises to be an explosive encounter.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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