Jurgen Klopp reveals he told Mo Salah to do something he’s ‘never asked a player to do before’ in Liverpool win
JURGEN KLOPP told Mohamed Salah to do something he’s never asked a player to do before in their 6-1 win against Sparta Prague.
The winger scored his 20th goal of the term during the Europa League clash becoming the first player to do so for the seventh consecutive season.
Salah, 31, played the full 90 minutes of the round of 16 clash on Thursday night – the first time in two months.
But Klopp asked the Egyptian to do something that he had never asked his players to do before.
The German said: “It was not the plan he plays 90 minutes, the plan was to take him off when we brought on Mateusz (Musialowski).
“But Bobby Clark said (he felt something) and Mo is experienced enough that he recovers during the game.
“I told him not to defend any more – I never told a player that before.”
Thursday night’s Europa League clash saw Salah provide two assists for Bobby Clark and Cody Gakpo, who scored twice, plus stunning strikes from Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Klopp continued: “Mo is just delivering and delivering and delivering, his desire doesn’t stop, his quality is there and his desire to score doesn’t stop.
“He has improved in so many aspects since he started here. That’s how it is, he will not stop.
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“I’m less surprised than maybe some others, I thought it had already happened to be honest but he was injured for a while, otherwise he would have done it in January or February. But great, very good, and great to have him back.”
Klopp who announced in January he will be leaving Anfield at the end of the term praised Salah.
He added: “In seven years together with him, the one problem we never had was consistency.”
Salah made his first start since New Year’s Day after a hamstring injury against Sparta.
Liverpool sailed through to the quarter-finals 11-2 on aggregate and will now face Atalanta on April 11.