Gary Lineker took to Twitter to react as Mohamed Salah made his return to Liverpool training on Tuesday. The Egyptian is back after AFCON heartbreak.
Mohamed Salah is back at Liverpool and took part in training on Tuesday. It’s a quick turnaround, of course, as it comes under 48 hours after his heartbreak in the Africa Cup of Nations final. And so instead of being out celebrating, Salah is back at Liverpool – and ready to play.
That’s naturally exciting and not just for fans, either. Virgil van Dijk couldn’t hide his delight as he welcomed Salah back for the cameras on Tuesday.
“He’s back!” said Van Dijk. “He’s back. The main man.”
They’re words that caught the attention of Gary Lineker, who couldn’t help but enjoy Van Dijk labelling someone else the ‘main main’. Van Dijk, of course, is one of the world’s best players but clearly sees Salah as a level above even himself.
“Imagine how good you must be to be called “the main man” by someone as brilliant as [Van Dijk],” Lineker wrote on Twitter.
Mohamed Salah is back at Liverpool
Lineker is right – it is pretty mad that Van Dijk holds Salah in such high regard. The Dutchman is a Ballon d’Or runner-up and pretty unquestionably the world’s best defender.
But that’s just how good Salah has been lately. He’s had an unreal start to the season, topping the Premier League in goals despite being away for over a month now. In fact, he’s still second in assists, too, behind only Trent Alexander-Arnold.
That, in truth, could have a negative effect on Salah coming out of AFCON. To be playing that well – arguably the best in the world – and still come up short is a mighty blow for anyone. Fortunately, all signs point to a player who’s ready to use the setback as a positive and actually kick on further.
No wonder, then, Van Dijk sees him as the main man.
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