Graeme Souness makes Mohamed Salah 'accusation' before Liverpool legend remark

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has accused Mohamed Salah of not always turning up when the team needs him in a strange assessment of the Egyptian forward — before then putting him in his best Reds team of all time.

In Arne Slot's first match in charge last weekend, against Ipswich Town, Salah opened his account for the new season and also set up Diogo Jota's opener. In doing so, he moved onto 300 goal contributions in 350 appearances for Liverpool since he arrived from AS Roma in 2017 for a fee of around $44m (£34m/€34m) .

"Is he going to go to war for you when the going gets tough and you have to turn up when it really matters? I think he can be accused of not doing that," Souness told talkSPORT . "But in saying that I was having a bit of banter with a friend of mine texting each other Liverpool’s greatest ever team.

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"I’d have to go three at the back to get him in but I have him in my greatest team. When you look at some of the players that have played for Liverpool , his stats would suggest that. He’s class. He has to be in my greatest team."

Salah is in the final year of his contract, which is the same situation as both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk . But there are no real signs yet that the 32-year-old is slowing down.

"Every year he comes back in even better shape than he was the season before," Andy Robertson told Liverpool.com and other outlets at Portman Road over the weekend. "He was one of the players who had a longer summer which was hugely beneficial to him. He managed to get a full pre-season under his belt and looks fit and sharp.

"He was excellent, especially in the second half when he carried us over the line. Mo looks after his body exceptionally well. He's a model professional and someone everyone looks up to. He leaves no stone unturned and that's why he's still in incredible shape. Long may that continue. If our main man is playing like that then it's going to help the team."

Liverpool.com says: Souness is probably being clouded by the last couple of months of last season when Salah was getting over an injury. Aside from that, you cannot question his record with Liverpool. He is right up there in the conversation for the best players to ever represent the club.