Salah always determined to prove his Premier League worth

After underwhelming during his brief spell at Chelsea, Mohamed Salah had no intention of missing a second chance to shine with Liverpool.

Published : Apr 23, 2018 05:15 IST

Mohamed Salah claims he always wanted to return to England and show the Premier League what he is capable of after winning the PFA Player of the Year award.

Salah failed to shine upon joining Chelsea from Basel in 2014, and was loaned out to Fiorentina and Roma, before completing a transfer to the Stadio Olimpico side in 2016.

A productive spell in Serie A convinced Liverpool to part with an initial fee of €42million for the Egypt international in June.

He has repaid that investment in fine style this season, scoring 41 goals in all competitions to help the Reds reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Upon receiving the PFA Player of the Year award on Sunday, the 25-year-old was asked if he had been determined to prove a point upon moving to Anfield. 

"Yes, I think from the first day I left the Premier League it was always in my mind," he said with a smile.

"I didn't have my [chance] in Chelsea so it was clear in my mind I would come back and show everyone my focus. 

"I'm happy for the award and [for] my team-mates and what we're doing in the Champions League.

"I think I left then I came back as different person, man, player, as I said, I didn't have my chance [at Chelsea]."

Liverpool host Roma in the first leg of their Champions League last-four tie on Tuesday, and Salah is eager for a reunion with his former employers. 

"It's very special to play for a club like Liverpool in the semi-final and the atmosphere at Anfield is great," he said.

"[I'm] very excited to play against Roma because I have old friends there."

Quizzed about the team's chances of progressing to a decider against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich and then coming out on top, he said: "We are in the semi-final, everything is possible. We take it game by game and I'm happy about that. We're going to do our best to win the Champions League."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment