Salah so bad in training scouts thought he ‘had a twin brother’

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Mo Salah’s former Basel coach has spoken brilliantly about his first impressions of the Egyptian King, who is now recognised as one of the world’s best attackers.

Salah has 74 goals and has won the Champions League since joining Liverpool from AS Roma just over two years ago – but was once an unknown winger from Al Mokawloon Al Arab trialling in Switzerland at FC Basel, where he slowly began to make his name.

Heiko Vogel, Salah’s manager in 2012, takes up the story from here…

“Then he trained on the first day; everyone watched the session and we wondered if he might have a twin brother!” he told  SPOX.

“The second day was a bit better, but not good. Gegge and I had already been talking him up for the tiniest things, saying stuff like: ‘did you see that pass?’.”

“And then came the third day,” Vogel continued. “It was then that he destroyed everything, he was really unstoppable.

“[The first two days] he wasn’t nervous. He was confident, but immersed in a new world. He had to acclimate himself in the truest sense of the word. He came to us from hot north Africa.

“It’s always difficult when you get into an environment where you do not really understand the language.

“[But] I have rarely seen such a dominant appearance in two-on-five [on that third day]. It was absolutely extraordinary.”

Salah has three goals in the Premier League this season – and likely has his heart set on a third consecutive Golden Boot.

Obviously the main target is the title itself, and we couldn’t have started the term better – winning all of our games – including the European Super Cup.

It’s Burnley next week, before an annoying international break, followed by a home game v Newcastle and an EFL Cup game – with the opponent yet to be drawn.

The fact of the matter is, we have to remain practically perfect if we’re to achieve glory this term – due to the brilliance of Manchester City.

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