'Mohamed Salah isn't a world class player - but his Liverpool team-mate is'

Mohamed Salah is 1 of the Premier League's modern greats but the Liverpool prima has been overlooked arsenic "world class" by Troy Deeney, who has alternatively hailed 2 of his team-mates

Troy Deeney claims Mo Salah isn't satellite people but his Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk is successful that category.

The Egyptian has been prolific passim his clip astatine Anfield, topping the club's scoring charts successful each twelvemonth he's been astatine the club. Salah has helped spearhead Premier League and Champions League triumphs with galore idiosyncratic accolades coming his way.

He has doubly been named the Premier League's champion subordinate but Deeney believes the erstwhile Chelsea antheral is not successful the world people category. The ex-Watford striker insists his comments are not idiosyncratic but has underlined wherefore Salah has missed retired connected the apical bracket.

Deeney said successful The Sun : "The Liverpool subordinate is simply a superb winger, his goalscoring numbers are unthinkable and helium has achieved immoderate genuinely astonishing things astatine the club. But satellite class? No."

He added connected his ain experience: "I was connected the extremity of loads of drubbings astatine Watford erstwhile Salah was astonishing for Liverpool. But erstwhile we prepared to look them, it was not conscionable a lawsuit of 'stop Salah and you win'. It was a batch harder erstwhile they besides had Sadio Mane successful the broadside who, successful my opinion, was much effectual implicit that play than Salah."

Deeney though does judge that Van Dijk is simply a satellite people operator. The Dutchman arrived 18 months aft Salah and was seen by galore arsenic the last portion of the jigsaw arsenic helium helped definite up their defence - and inactive remains their backline leader. Alisson excessively has been deemed satellite class.

"I tin retrieve Graeme Souness erstwhile telling maine his mentation connected whether you were satellite class, and it was based connected whether you could locomotion into immoderate starting XI successful satellite football," said Deeney.

He has besides stated that Ballon d'Or victor Rodri, Real Madrid's Vinicius Jnr and Manchester City frontman Erling Haaland are the different satellite people individuals - suggesting that determination are lone 5 players presently connected that level.

One notable snub from Deeney's satellite people database is Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has been among the world's apical performers but has seen his level autumn distant since swapping PSG for Real Madrid successful the summer. His displays person copped disapproval arsenic Real themselves struggle.

"For instance, idiosyncratic similar Kylian Mbappe I would reason is besides presently NOT satellite class," said Deeney. An unthinkable player, won plenty, got his large determination to Real Madrid this summer, but his signifier has not been astatine the level of erstwhile seasons."

He went connected to add: "Can Mbappe astatine 25 get backmost to being satellite class? Definitely. But for now, helium has immoderate enactment to do."

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