Paul Merson has brutally insisted that Mohamed Salah remains a better player than Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, who produces "nowhere near" the Liverpool star's goals and assists.
Arsenal legend Merson has scathingly compared the two Premier League stars as well as Manchester City forward duo Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, who are all battling it out in this season's title race. Despite 22-year-old Saka enjoying a much better calendar year from a team perspective, Salah has still managed to rack up more goals and assists than his Arsenal rival, just as he's done so far this term.
That's led Merson to make the point that Saka has a long way to go before he matches the Egyptian king of Anfield, who he reckons doesn't get the credit he deserves. Writing for Sky Sports, the ex-Gunners playmaker admitted: "In a way, I feel sorry for Salah. I really don't think he gets the credit he deserves for what he's done and is doing at Liverpool.
"He's similar to Wayne Rooney for me in that regard. He was another who didn't get the credit he deserved. Salah puts up figures that blow everyone away. 200 goals for Liverpool already, playing on the right wing. It's extraordinary."
Merson then went on to directly compare Salah and the England international, who'll meet at Anfield next Saturday for a mouth-watering fixture. "Everyone tells me that Bukayo Saka is one of the best wingers in the world but playing in exactly the same position as Salah, he gets nowhere near his figures," he affirmed.
"What Salah produces at the highest level is just mind blowing. We talk about Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, who are unbelievable footballers, but they won't score as many as Salah put together He's definitely in the top five players in the world for me. He always gets massive goals in massive football matches, and I can't speak highly enough of him as a player."
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In his praise for Salah, who's racked up 11 goals and seven assists in 16 league games this season, Merson added that Liverpool have the best set of attackers in the top flight. "It is why Liverpool have every chance of going all the way in the race for the Premier League title," the former Arsenal midfielder declared.
"Liverpool have fought hard this season. They are a team that don't know when they are beaten and that's a good sign for Jurgen Klopp. However, it is their prolific front line which gives them the greatest optimism, in my opinion. Salah, [Luis] Diaz, [Cody] Gakpo, [Diogo] Jota and [Darwin] Nunez - they all have the ability to get double figures this season. That's a luxury."
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