Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has returned to Merseyside this weekend to lead the Reds in a legends fixture against Borussia Dortmund. During his visit, Klopp made a notable comment comparing Mohamed Salah's contributions to those of Liverpool's newest star, Hugo Ekitike.
Speaking to The Anfield Wrap, Klopp suggested it would be near impossible for any striker to replicate Salah's extraordinary record at the club, singling out Ekitike in doing so. Salah sits third on Liverpool's all-time list of top goalscorers, with four Premier League Golden Boots and multiple other accolades. Klopp said of Salah: 'In the moment when you work with him, it is the same as every other player... But with the bigger view, it is just ridiculous. [Salah has] unmatched numbers, will we be talking in 10 years, and someone else has them? Ekitike or whoever. I think it will be really difficult [to surpass Salah]. I think he is one of the all-time greats.'
Ekitike, 23, has made a positive impression since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, notching 17 goals in all competitions. Some supporters may view Klopp's comments as unfair on the French forward, but it is plausible Klopp singled him out because he feels the young international could scale the heights of Salah, which would be an enormous compliment.
Meanwhile, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has hit back at fans who accused him of disrespecting Salah after positioning the Egyptian at No. 6 in his list of the club's all-time greats, behind Ian Rush, John Barnes, Graeme Souness, Sir Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard. Some social media users criticised the timing of the video, released shortly after Salah confirmed his departure.
Carragher insisted no disrespect was intended, writing on X: 'It's not poor timing from anyone; I did this interview before Salah announced his decision. Then [I] went on the overlap a day after the Salah announcement and brought up I'd put him 6th on the LFC list. The club decided to put it out before I gave away my full list!' He added: 'I'm not one of his biggest critics, when have I ever criticised Salah the player. I said he's the second-best foreign player ever in the Premier League! You and plenty of others don't know enough about the club's history and are being very disrespectful to other players.'
