Mohamed Salah takes on James Milner role at Liverpool as clear message sent to Arne Slot

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is all fired up for the upcoming season, having delivered a strong pre-season statement to boss Arne Slot.

Salah hit the ground running at Liverpool's Kirkby training complex earlier this month, gearing up for the new season in impressive form. Alongside seasoned pro Wataru Endo, he participated in the Six-Minute Race Test, where fitness coach Conall Murtagh urged them to lead by example for the younger squad members.

"It's important to show your mentality," said Murtagh. "Show the lads how it's done as leaders in the group." With many of Liverpool's players busy with Euro 2024 and Copa America duties, Salah and Endo are among the few senior figures present in early pre-season.

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Rising to the occasion, Salah smashed the leaderboard in the demanding test, as reported by The Athletic , outperforming all his teammates in terms of distance covered. His effort was described as "phenomenal" by Murtagh, surpassing the previous best set by Sepp van den Berg.

The Six-Minute Race Test, which has taken over from the taxing lactate test of Jurgen Klopp's era, remains an intense measure of endurance. It challenges players to run at their maximum capacity around a 400m track for six minutes.

James Milner consistently aced the lactate test during his eight-year stint at Liverpool but he has passed the baton to Salah . The Egyptian emerged top in the fitness rankings in Klopp's final season, just as Milner departed for Brighton.

With Salah in peak condition, it's a massive lift for new boss Arne Slot, although Salah's future at Anfield is uncertain as he's one of several key players entering the last year of their contracts.

Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also approaching the end of their current terms. However, Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes is confident about their dedication, stating: "On contractual situations, I don't think it would be fair for me to talk about these.

"These are private matters between club and players. The only concern I and Arne have about situations is total commitment from the players to the cause for next season and we're absolutely convinced that will be the case."