According to Jamie Carragher, Mohamed Salah wants to play at the best level until he is in his late 30s and wants to shatter as many club and Premier League records as he can.
Salah scored in the first three games of the season for the first time in his eight seasons at the club, thanks to his goal in the 3-0 victory over Manchester United.
His contract is set to expire in the summer, and he has not received a renewal offer. Despite this, he does not seem concerned because of this, as his strong start to the new season suggests he will likely extend his contract. He has set a new record for Liverpool by scoring more than 20 goals seven times in a row.
The Egypt international will be 33 in June, but according to Carragher, it shouldn’t stop Salah from playing for Liverpool because it won’t be a barrier.
“It might not be his final year. Mo Salah reminds me of Ronaldo, in my opinion,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
For most football players, 35 is the end goal. Mo Salah, in my opinion, will be mentally winding down in his late 30s.
“He wants to shatter every record he can, whether it’s in Liverpool or the Premier League.”
“I believe he is conscious of his situation, and I find it quite unlikely that Mo Salah would play in the Saudi League, for example, the next season. At one of the greatest clubs in the world, he is performing that brilliantly.
There are several wide forwards and wingers who have won more medals than him, but there aren’t many wide players who have scored as many goals and of such high caliber.
“Ronaldo at United comes to mind. He is, in my opinion, on par with Ronaldo as the finest winger the Premier League has ever produced.
Salah increased the pressure on Liverpool to negotiate a contract extension after Sunday’s victory at Old Trafford.
He said to Sky Sports, “I was just like, ‘OK, I play my last season and see at the end of the season,’ because nobody in the club had talked to me about contracts yet.”
His circumstances are not unusual.
As far as the PA news agency is aware, Virgil Van Dijk, the captain, has not been approached about keeping his contract through the conclusion of the current campaign.
A similar circumstance faces defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is about to enter his prime at the age of 25.
Van Dijk is believed to be enjoying his role as captain and has no plans to quit, but the fact that Liverpool hasn’t approached him has made him wonder if the team truly values and respects him.
Despite turning 33 in July, he stated last week in an interview with PA that he is “nowhere near the end so far” because he thinks he can play at his best until he is in his late 30s.
The proprietors of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Michael Edwards, the chief executive of football, and new sporting director Richard Hughes have the responsibility of moving swiftly on contracts.
After Jurgen Klopp and his whole backroom team left, the summer was filled with turmoil, and the priority was finding Arne Slot as the new head coach and getting him ready for his debut campaign.
Although the club won’t discuss player contracts, it is expected that Hughes will make some moves now that the transfer window has closed. FSG will need to decide whether to break their policy of not giving big, long-term contracts to players older than 30 in order to keep Salah and Van Dijk in the team.
