Paul Merson makes Mohamed Salah prediction after Liverpool star's bombshell announcement

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Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is fit again after picking up an injury before the international break, and he will be hoping to end his time at Anfield on a high

Paul Merson and Mohamed Salah.(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will leave the club this summer as one of the Reds' best ever players, and there could be one or two more big moments from the Egyptian still to come.

While Salah has not had the best campaign so far, Liverpool will need him to perform if it is to get into the top five spots in the Premier League. This week, it will also play Manchester City and PSG in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively.

In those games, Liverpool will need to be clinical to have any chance of progressing and Salah could hold the key. Like the Reds as a whole, his best performances have tended to come in Europe this term.

"Salah should return to the line-up for [the Manchester City] game," Merson wrote for Sportskeeda. "I know he hasn't been at his best this season, but he will do something magical before he leaves Liverpool.

"That performance is surely around the corner! I would go with Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz to partner Salah in attack here. Wirtz struggled badly in the league game against City at the Etihad.

"But I've got no doubt that he will become a superstar. Just give him a year, he just needs time to settle down before he can replicate what he did with Bayer Leverkusen."

Mohamed Salah has been training ahead of Liverpool's clash with Manchester City in the FA Cup(Image: Getty Images)

A front three of Salah, Ekitike and Wirtz, potentially with the likes of Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak to come off the bench, would give Liverpool a strong goal threat.

But even with that being the case, Merson believes that it is Manchester City who will get through to the semi-finals. It has already won at Wembley once this season and is looking to book a second visit.

"Manchester City did not look like world-beaters during the cup final win over Arsenal," Merson continued.

"And as an ex-professional footballer, I did not like the showboating from Rayan Cherki. He's fortunate we are in 2026 and not the 1990s. It was a bit disrespectful.

"I don't think Cherki starts this game. Pep Guardiola is expected to stick with Jeremy Doku, who was brilliant against Liverpool earlier this season.

"It's not a foregone conclusion that Manchester City will win this game. The battle in the wide areas between Doku and Jeremie Frimpong, and Nico O'Reilly up against Salah could be where this game is won and lost.

"This could go any way, but I'm backing Manchester City simply because of how inconsistent Liverpool have been this season."

Liverpool.com says: It would be no surprise if Salah did have another moment or two in him before the season ends. He will be desperate to go out on a high, as unlikely as it is that Liverpool's campaign ends with a Champions League final in Budapest.