'Salah can become as good as Messi'

Mohamed Salah will belong in the same bracket as Lionel Messi if he can maintain his phenomenal form from this season, according to Liverpool team-mate Andy Robertson.

Salah moved on to 36 goals in all competitions for Jurgen Klopp's men with a stunning four-goal haul in Saturday's 5-0 demolition of Watford in the Premier League.

It makes the £36.9million Liverpool paid Roma for the 25-year-old's services last year appear an ever-greater bargain and Robertson – a less-heralded but still impressively successful close-season acquisition from Hull City – thinks his colleague should be aiming for the very top.

"Messi has been doing it for years. Mo has had a great career but I think now he is really hitting his peak and he has still got youth on his side," the Scotland left-back told Sky Sports News.

"Hopefully if he can keep doing it he will be in that bracket, but I don't think you can argue that there probably isn't anyone better in the world than him just now.

"He needs to keep going and next season will be big for him because everybody will be expecting it. If he can kick on from here then I think he will be one of the best players in the world."

3 March 2018

Robertson has established himself as Jurgen Klopp's first choice on the left-hand side of defence and is certainly kept sharp by the prospect of facing up to Salah in training on a daily basis.

"He's easier to play with than against, that's for sure!" he added.

"In training, I think everyone dreads it but just now, I think he's one of the best in the business and nobody can deny that.

"I thought on Saturday he was unplayable. I thought he was unbelievable and I think that could arguably have been his best game so far.

"To top it off with four goals was just ridiculous but it all comes from all of us working so hard. Mo gets in those positions all the time and just now he's putting everything away.

"He's not missing any chances and that's a good thing for us. Hopefully that continues because we've got a big run-in until the end of the season and if the front three can keep scoring the goals then hopefully that can be enough for us to reach our objectives."