Troy Deeney claims Mo Salah isn’t world class but his Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk is in that category.
The Egyptian has been prolific throughout his time at Anfield, topping the club’s scoring charts in every year he’s been at the club. Salah has helped spearhead Premier League and Champions League triumphs with numerous individual accolades coming his way.
He has twice been named the Premier League’s best player but Deeney believes the former Chelsea man is not in the world class category. The ex-Watford striker insists his comments are not personal but has underlined why Salah has missed out on the top bracket.
Deeney said in The Sun : “The Liverpool player is a brilliant winger, his goalscoring numbers are incredible and he has achieved some truly amazing things at the club. But world class? No.”
He added on his own experience: “I was on the end of loads of drubbings at Watford when Salah was amazing for Liverpool. But when we prepared to face them, it was not just a case of ‘stop Salah and you win’. It was a lot harder when they also had Sadio Mane in the side who, in my opinion, was more effective over that period than Salah.”
Deeney though does believe that Van Dijk is a world class operator. The Dutchman arrived 18 months after Salah and was seen by many as the final piece of the jigsaw as he helped sure up their defence – and still remains their backline leader. Alisson too has been deemed world class.
“I can remember Graeme Souness once telling me his theory on whether you were world class, and it was based on whether you could walk into any starting XI in world football,” said Deeney.
He has also stated that Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jnr and Manchester City frontman Erling Haaland are the other world class individuals – suggesting that there are only five players currently on that level.
One notable snub from Deeney’s world class list is Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has been among the world’s top performers but has seen his level fall away since swapping PSG for Real Madrid in the summer. His displays have copped criticism as Real themselves struggle.
“For instance, someone like Kylian Mbappe I would argue is also currently NOT world class,” said Deeney. An incredible player, won plenty, got his big move to Real Madrid this summer, but his form has not been at the level of previous seasons.”
He went on to add: “Can Mbappe at 25 get back to being world class? Definitely. But for now, he has some work to do.”
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