Mohamed Salah’s form has come under scrutiny but Danny Murphy has insisted he’d still pick the Liverpool star over Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.
Salah has been of the best and most consistent performers in the Premier League over the last few seasons, helping Liverpool win the title last term.
Arne Slot’s side have struggled during the 2025-26 campaign, though, with the Reds eighth in the top-flight table after their opening 11 matches.
Salah is usually prolific but the 33-year-old Egyptian international winger has only registered two goals in his last seven Premier League games.
Saka, meanwhile, has been in strong form, with the 24-year-old winger scoring in Arsenal’s Champions League win over Slavia Prague and the top-flight draw with Sunderland before netting for England on Thursday.
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But despite helping Arsenal to the top of the Premier League table and go unbeaten so far in this season’s Champions League, football pundit and ex-Liverpool midfielder Murphy still wouldn’t pick Saka over Salah.
‘I’d probably just still go with Salah because he can score goals from anywhere,’ Murphy told talkSPORT. ‘You know, he’s just got this knack of scoring unbelievable goals more regularly.’
Murphy urges Slot to make change over Salah
Liverpool head coach Slot has relieved Salah of any defensive duties, instructing him to stay forward to maximise his output in the final third.
This tactic worked last season – with Salah allowed to attack more than under previous boss Jurgen Klopp – but it hasn’t been successful this term.
Murphy has urged Slot to make a change over Salah following Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last time out.
‘Giving Salah the license to not defend against a left-back who loves going forward and isn’t even a left-back in [Nico] O’Reilly, who has been brilliant recently, I couldn’t believe what I was watching to be honest,’ Murphy said.
‘I don’t know how he (Slot) can keep watching the same thing and not change it.
‘And it’s not like Salah can’t do the running, he hasn’t asked him to see if he can.
‘He doesn’t have to do it every single time, but he has spent so long not doing it.
‘Last season, Salah came out and said he was enjoying it more because he doesn’t have to defend as much as he did with Klopp.
‘But it’s just time and time again, and I don’t think he needs to be dropped because he’s such a threat, but I think you’ve got to tell him to defend.’
Salah has conjured up 250 goals and 116 assists across 417 games for Liverpool to date.