Salah deserves Liverpool’s captaincy, says Mohammed Aboutrika

A case has been made for the African star who is the leading scorer in Jurgen Klopp’s team this season

Mohamed Salah deserves to be the captain of Liverpool because of his outstanding contributions to the team, according to Egyptian legend Mohamed Aboutrika.

The 28-year-old started Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace from the bench, but he was introduced in the 57th minute and he scored two late goals to seal the Reds’ emphatic 7-0 win at Selhurst Park.

Prior to the encounter, Salah expressed his disappointment after he was snubbed as captain for Liverpool’s final Champions League group match against Midtjylland, in favour of 22-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold 

After watching his compatriot’s impact on Saturday, which took his tally to 13 goals in 13 Premier League matches this term, Aboutrika said the two-time African Footballer of the Year needs to be treated highly with the captaincy honour.

“Bruno [Fernandes] joined Manchester United a few months ago and is treated in a wonderful way, as he has received many awards in addition to the captaincy, why does this not happen with Salah at Liverpool?” Aboutrika told beIN Sports via King Fut.

“Salah is Liverpool’s main man, and no one can deny that. I am not saying this because of what happened in today’s match with Salah starting on the bench.

“But generally speaking, it is possible that Salah got a rest today from Jurgen Klopp and credit to him for being very professional, and playing 33 minutes at his best.

“Salah’s joy with the goals today is incomplete. He scored wonderful goals, especially the seventh goal, simply world-class.

“I repeat that he should be treated better, for example, the captaincy of the Egyptian national team is not his right because it is given by seniority.

“But in Liverpool, he is the most deserving and worthy of the captain’s armband. These things could seem simple, but it does matter for players.”

The victory in South London powered Klopp’s side to the top of the Premier League table with 31 points from 14 games while Salah leads the goalscorers’ chart by two goals, ahead of his closest rivals – Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tottenham Hotspur’s Heung-Min Son.

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