Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes that players like Mohamed Salah can compete at the top level well into their 30s.
Salah joined Liverpool as a 25-year-old coming from Roma. Now, nearly five years later, he became the team’s most important asset.
Since joining the Reds, Salah has made 204 direct goal contributions [148 goals and 56 assists] in 230 appearances,. The Egyptian is already the club’s 10th all-time top goalscorer, ten behind Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen who sits in eighth place.
Salah also guided Liverpool to their 19th league title, the UEFA Champions, the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
However, the winger’s future at Anfield is still questionable, as he’s yet to put pen to paper on a new contract, which expires at the end of next season.
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group have been known to have a strict salary cap, especially when it comes to players over 30, but Salah’s fitness level shows he can play with the same consistency for a while.
With the Egyptian about to turn 30 next summer, it’s still unclear whether or not the Liverpool officials will hand him a new contract and hand him his requested weekly wage, which is reportedly at £500,000.
When asked if a player reaches his peak later in his career, Klopp had this to say:
“One or two years ago the first three players of the Ballon d’Or, apart from Salah who is slightly younger, were all 34 or older.”
“Lewandowski is 33, then Messi and Ronaldo (are) 34 and 37 and if you are lucky enough to get through a career without major injuries you can play long.
“There is no peak mid-20s. The massive advantage of early 30s, mid-30s is the player can see things in the right way having learned in his career.
“He can use that and he can be an even better player than he was a few years before and that is the plan with all of them. There is no age roof.
“For clubs it is different, they think ‘we won’t sign a 33-year-old because we cannot sell him any more’ but if the player is already in then it is outstanding to have him around because they have experience, desire and quality.”
Source- Kingfut
