Rafa Benitez has hailed Mohamed Salah as being a ‘very good professional’ during Liverpool’s current campaign amid endless rumours about his future at the club.
The Egyptian star’s contract with Liverpool is on the brink of expiration come season’s end, but this hasn’t stopped him from delivering world-class performances and putting his side on the brink of the title, leaving Benitez thoroughly impressed.
The legendary figure for Liverpool, forever remembered for orchestrating the memorable Champions League victory in Istanbul back in 2005, Benitez returned to the city to offer his expert analysis for TNT Sports during the Liverpool vs Newcastle United match, having also been at the helm for the Magpies from 2016 to 2019.
For the first time in nine games, Salah didn’t add to his goal tally, although he did contribute an assist for Alexis Mac Allister’s goal in the second half, bringing the Egyptian’s total goal contributions to an incredible 52 for the season. He’s achieved all this amid ongoing negotiations about possibly extending his stay at the club past summer.
Benitez praised Salah stating: “He has a special situation. We know about the contract but the way he is performing every week, for a manager it is great to see.
Benitez also noted how Salah spoke of his physical and mental preparation in a recent interview, demonstrating his ultimate professionalism by maintaining his performance level despite his contractual uncertainties.
And Benitez has offered some advice to Arne Slot and Liverpool on handling the situations of key trio Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold with all stars’ contracts expiring this summer.
Benitez emphasised the importance of clear communication: “The first thing you have to do with them as a manager is talk to them face-to-face. If they can give you an idea, give you the truth, then you can start working with them trying to get the best for them and at the same time the best from the club.
“You know that he will leave or he will stay, then you start working on that. If you don’t know all you can do is make sure the team is doing well, he’s working hard, keeping this winning mentality. Then, if you are winning maybe he will decide to stay because he is winning trophies with this club.
“It depends on the player. I have confidence, with players like that you can say ‘come on, here’, and start talking but some players say they can’t talk without their agent, so that means something. Maybe they are leaving.”
This article originally appeared on the Liverpool Echo
