Glen Johnson has claimed that Luis Suarez is Liverpool’s ‘best player of the Premier League era’ over in-form attacker Mo Salah.
The Egyptian international has enjoyed a scintillating start to the Reds’ 2021/22 campaign, registering a remarkable nine goals in as many games (across all competitions).
“I played with Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard, so it’s hard for me to look past players such as them, but if you have any of those players playing in your team then you’re doing something right,” the 37-year-old was quoted as saying by Football365.
“Mo deserves all the credit he’s getting as he’s a goal machine and he works his socks off. He’s bounced back really well from his time at Chelsea so he deserves all the credit that comes his way.
“If I had to choose who Liverpool’s best player of the Premier League era is then I’d have to go with Luis Suarez. The reason why is because I knew him and I knew what he was capable of doing.
“Unfortunately, I only get to see Mohammed Salah at the weekend like everybody else. I don’t know what he’s like in training, but from what I see during his games then I imagine he’s an absolute workhorse.”
The 29-year-old attracted mass attention across the nation’s outlets following his lauded effort in the Merseysiders’ 2-2 stalemate with Manchester City in the English top-flight.
With the result keeping Chelsea ahead of the Cityzens and Liverpool, it has become increasingly difficult to predict the outcome of key clashes between the league rivals – a challenge fans could try and get around with Footy Stats’ correct score predictions.
Suarez’s former teammate is far from being the first to wade into debates over the superiority of either forward, with Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand having discussed the issue at some length.
As far as goal contributions go, however, few fans would be inclined to take the position that Salah’s current level of performance is anything but exceptional.
With his goals last term having kept a struggling Liverpool side – amidst a relentless injury crisis – afloat and in contention for top four football, the Egyptian has certainly proved that he can be a reliable figure for Jurgen Klopp.
Should he keep up his current goal rate, however, pundits may find it increasingly difficult to draw comparisons between the former Roma hitman and the Uruguayan international in question.