Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool have found a long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk in Jeremy Jacquet, while Mohamed Salah continues to set records at Trabzonspor.
Following the showdown with Manchester City, Liverpool's attention has shifted to the Champions League and Wednesday's trip to Austrian side LASK. The Reds got up and running in Europe with a comeback victory over Atletico Madrid thanks to goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
Gerrard names Van Dijk successor
With the Dutchman now in the latter stages of his career, the Reds will soon need to look to the future, possibly at the end of this season when the 35-year-old's contract expires. But Gerrard believes they already have a defensive rock in their ranks in the shape of Jeremy Jacquet, who has impressed since arriving from Rennes.
Gerrard told SPORTbible: "I love him, I've been very impressed with him from the opening pre-season friendlies. I think he's got a composure and a fantastic profile and he can move. I think there's still a bit of rawness about him. But I think there’s another level which he can get to and I think he's going to be the perfect replacement for Virg in a year or two because he's really helped solidify that back four."
Salah settles in
Mohamed Salah is rolling back the years at Trabzonspor, powering his new club to a flying start in Turkey. Nine years after joining Liverpool, the Egyptian icon mutually terminated his Anfield contract this summer. His fresh chapter started in chaos with an early Europa League exit and the resignation of manager Fatih Tekke, but that turbulence has quickly vanished.
Before the international break, Trabzonspor laid down a marker with a 4-0 thrashing of Galatasaray, which featured a Salah hat-trick, following it up with a slick 3-0 win over Samsunspor on Saturday. Salah turned provider with an assist in the latest victory, bringing his blistering league tally to seven goals and three assists in just seven matches.
According to Opta, the 34-year-old is the first player to reach 10 goal contributions in his first seven matches of a Turkish Super Lig season since 2014/15, when such records began. Trabzonspor visit KPS Kuopio in the Conference League on Thursday before a home clash with Besiktas on October 19.
