Mohamed Aboutrika, who played 100 times for Egypt, thinks the Reds star is ramping up the pressure on the club to sort a new deal
One of Mohamed Salah’s former Egypt team-mates believes the Liverpool forward is “putting more pressure” on the club to sort out a new contract.
The 32-year-old is enjoying another stellar season on Merseyside, with his 16 goals and 13 assists this season helping the Reds scale the summit of both the Premier League and Champions League tables.
However, his future at Anfield is far from certain. Salah’s current deal expires at the end of the season and from January he is free to negotiate with clubs overseas about signing a pre-contract; this means Liverpool could feasibly lose the iconic forward for nothing.
READ MORE: Mohamed Salah fumes at Liverpool team-mates as painful injury revealed in mixed zone
Salah spoke openly about his situation following the 3-2 win at Southampton and his up-front comments triggered a mixed response.
Talking to beIN Sports (h/t Team Talk), Egyptian football great Mohamed Aboutrika thinks Salah is saying everything he needs to with his performances in red.
“Regardless of what was said about the contract, he speaks with his feet,” he said. “I always prefer that football players speak with their feet rather than their tongues. Let others speak for you.
“Your performance and numbers – every time there are new records – speak for you. So I think he is putting more pressure on Liverpool’s management and owners to renew his contract.”
Aboutrika, who played 100 times for Egypt and 15 times alongside Salah, also believes the forward will be taking an active part in the negotiations around his potential extension.
“Even on a personal level, he cares about all the details on and off the field,” he added. “He offers something new every year, so I think it is an exceptional start [this season]. Salah’s 13 [Premier League] goals brought Liverpool 11 points this season, and without him, I think Liverpool would not have been at the top.”
