Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Mohamed Salah will want to play at the highest level until his late 30s and is targeting breaking as many Premier League and club records as he can.
Salah’s goal in the 3-0 win over Manchester United meant for the first time in his eight seasons at the club he had found the net in the opening three matches of the campaign.
He does not appear to be troubled by the fact he has yet to receive a renewal offer to extend a contract which is due to expire in the summer and, having set a new Liverpool record of 20-plus goals for seven-successive seasons, his start to the new campaign means he is already well on his way to extending that.
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The Egypt international turns 33 next June but Carragher does not believe that will be a barrier to Salah and therefore should not be for Liverpool.
“I’m not sure it will be his last year. I think Mo Salah is a little bit like (Cristiano) Ronaldo,” he told The Gary Neville Podcast.
“Most footballers think 35 is the time to finish. I think Mo Salah will be looking at his late 30s and winding down then in his head.
“He will be looking at breaking every record he possibly can, either in the Premier League or Liverpool.
“I think he is aware of his status and I find it very difficult to see Mo Salah in the Saudi League, for instance, next season. He is playing that well at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“There are a lot of players, wingers or wide forwards who have more medals than him but there will be very few wide players with the quality and numbers of goals.
“You think of Ronaldo at United. I think he is right up there alongside Ronaldo as the best winger we’ve seen in the Premier League.”
Salah piled on the pressure for Liverpool to make a move on his contract after Sunday’s Old Trafford win.
“Nobody in the club talked to me yet about contracts so I was just like, ‘OK, I play my last season and see at the end of the season’,” he told Sky Sports.
His situation is not unique. The PA news agency understands no approach has been made to captain Virgil van Dijk about extending his contract beyond the end of the season.
Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, approaching his peak years aged 25, is in a similar situation.
It is understood Van Dijk is relishing his position as captain and has no desire to leave but no approach from Liverpool has left him questioning whether the club fully appreciate him and his value to them.
Last week in an interview with PA he spoke of being “nowhere near the end so far” – despite turning 33 in July – as he believes he can play at the highest level until his late 30s.
The onus is on new sporting director Richard Hughes and above him chief executive of football for owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) Michael Edwards, to now move quickly on contracts.
A summer of upheaval following the departure of Jurgen Klopp and his entire backroom staff meant the focus was on recruiting a new head coach in Arne Slot and preparing him for his first season.
The club refuse to talk about player contracts but with the transfer window now closed, the expectation is there will be some movement from Hughes, with a decision to be made on whether FSG depart from their policy of not offering lucrative, long-term deals to players over 30 in order to secure the futures of Salah and Van Dijk.
