‘I think he found a right foot on holiday!’ – Klopp believes Salah is still developing his game

Jurgen Klopp has joked Mohamed Salah “found a right foot on holiday” as he hailed the forward’s continued development ahead of Monday’s trip to Manchester United.

Salah has picked up from where he left off last season with two goals and an assist in Liverpool’s opening three games of the 2022-23 campaign.

The Egypt international has also created 12 chances across those three outings, which is five more than next-best Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Indeed, only Borussia Monchengladbach’s Alassane Plea and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar (both 13) have created more chances this term across Europe’s top five leagues.

And as Salah looks to match Thierry Henry in winning the Premier League Golden Boot for a record fourth time, Klopp believes the 30-year-old is only getting better with time.

“I think he found a right foot on holiday. He always develops. It’s really crazy,” Klopp told Sky Sports. 

“This year he arrived with crosses with his right foot. He’s obviously a top professional and he really tries to add on things into his game.

“He is a top, top, top striker and with the numbers he had, not only scoring-wise but assisting-wise as well, it’s big.”

Salah has scored eight goals in his past four games against United in all competitions, netting six of those at Old Trafford, including a hat-trick in this fixture last season.

He has nine goals against United overall and could become the first Liverpool player ever to reach double figures against their fierce rivals.

“I’m pretty sure he knows that,” Klopp said what that statistic was put to him. “I didn’t know it but I’m pretty sure Mo knows it, so good news!”

Salah signed a new three-year deal at Anfield last month, coming on the back of fellow forward Sadio Mane’s departure to Bayern Munich.

Liverpool offset that exit by bringing in Darwin Nunez from Benfica, while Luis Diaz has made a big impact since arriving from Porto midway through last season.

Diaz rescued Liverpool a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace on Monday after Nunez was sent off and Klopp has been impressed by his swift adaptation to a new league.

“He had to play immediately because [Salah and Mane] were at the Africa Cup of Nations, so that helped him settle in,” Klopp said.

“That gave him immediate confidence. It’s his quality, his talent, his skill set. He’s a really good player. We knew it before and when you’re really good it’s easier to settle in.

“He has this special thing: He can score from outside the box, which for a striker is really important. He’s very, very important for us.”