Liverpool have a future Ballon d’Or nominee who might quickly dethrone Salah

Regardless of slipping to a late defeat on the street at Crystal Palace on Saturday, Liverpool stay on the summit of the Premier League in the intervening time.

Arne Slot and Co had 5 straight league wins to thank for his or her table-topping place, however the regarding nature of their defeat by the hands of Oliver Glasner’s Palace will make these with connections to the Anfield giants fear about extra crushing losses to come back.

It is too quickly to be furiously pounding the panic button, however there’ll nonetheless be an uneasiness within the air surrounding Mohamed Salah‘s poor performances of late, because the ageing winger now inevitably faces the winding down of his esteemed enjoying days.

Salah’s poor performances in numbers

Staggeringly, in the event you take away his opening day strike in opposition to AFC Bournemouth from the equation, Salah solely has a last-minute penalty in opposition to Burnley to shout about for his goalscoring efforts this season.

He does even have two assists subsequent to his identify, but it surely was a worryingly sub-par exhibiting from the normally enigmatic Egyptian in opposition to the robust to interrupt down Eagles, with Tyrick Mitchell managing to make the “world-class” ace – as he was as soon as dubbed by Jurgen Klopp – look atypical.

Salah was arguably fortunate to final the complete 90 minutes, with the lacklustre quantity 11 managing to finish none of his dribble makes an attempt to try to catch out a resolute Palace defence, whereas additionally squandering two large possibilities to try to hold the Reds’ 100% report intact.

It does really feel reasonably far-fetched that Salah shall be dropped, although, even with these off-days popping up, however Slot can have one eye on the longer term now, absolutely, with the left-footed ace coming in at 33 years of age.

Fortunately, Liverpool do have some shiny starlets within the youth set-up who shall be determined to make extra appreciable strides within the first group image quickly, with one rising attacker possibly even aiming to develop into the following Salah in time.

Liverpool’s up and coming Salah inheritor

When the day comes that Salah leaves Anfield behind, will probably be a particularly robust process to try to immediately exchange the Egyptian’s unmistakable star high quality.

Regardless of seen chinks in his armour now showing, Salah does boast an unbelievable 248 targets and 116 assists for the Reds, with two Premier League triumphs and a Champions League trophy lifted off the again of his blistering heroics.

Nonetheless, everyone has their day within the solar earlier than they must stroll away, and with Liverpool already starting to place the items collectively for a new-look assault with Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz in by means of the door this summer time, there might quickly be a queue of candidates desirous to take over from the trendy day icon as Liverpool’s electrical spark down the flanks.

Rio Ngumoha may nicely fancy his possibilities at being a long-term successor to Salah’s throne, having already lit up the Premier League this season with a Salah-like second of high quality when breaking Newcastle United hearts with a last-gasp winner at St. James’ Park.

In the appropriate place on the proper time to smash residence that decisive strike, the tough 17-year-old additionally managed to finish one profitable dribble, regardless of solely being current on the Tyneside turf for eight minutes.

Having additionally scored and assisted for enjoyable in pre-season for Slot’s males – with two targets and two assists registered in opposition to the likes of Athletic Bilbao and AC Milan – it does really feel like solely a matter of time earlier than Nguhoma enters into the Dutchman’s first group plans and stays there.

The longer term is immensely vivid for this proficient teen, together with his former youth coach in Saul Isaksson-Hurst even going so far as to say he might sooner or later make the Ballon d’Or shortlist like Salah.

Nguhoma’s present second within the highlight at Anfield might have nicely been Chelsea’s personal success story in an alternate actuality, with the teenage sensation lining up 9 occasions for the Chelsea U18s earlier than shifting to Merseyside.

After all, Salah was additionally as soon as let go of prematurely by the Blues, earlier than turning right into a world beater donning Liverpool purple.

With a Salah-like directness current in his recreation, additionally making him “top-of-the-line younger wingers in Europe” in accordance with Secret Scout, there may be an unbelievable degree of hype already surrounding the 17-year-old’s identify.

Will probably be as much as the England U19 worldwide and people round him to make sure he’s courageous sufficient to trip these uneven upcoming waves, however a homegrown Salah probably being within the works is an absurd thought.