Mohamed Salah played his first match since his Liverpool contract officially ended on Friday, advancing through the World Cup last-16 with Egypt.
The Pharaohs drew 1-1 against Australia, but eventually won on penalties to set up a last-16 match against Argentina.
Naturally, Salah took a penalty during the shootout, exuding confidence by dinking his spot-kick down the middle of the goal.
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And though he was not able to affect the scoring, the Liverpool legend turned in a statistically excellent performance to show that he may not be finished after all.
Salah ticks all the boxes against Australia
Interestingly, Salah has so far been used in a more central position by Egypt during the World Cup, something we saw a little of, but not a great deal, during his final year with Liverpool.
As his speed starts to leave him, this is a good way of getting the best out of the 34-year-old, who is still one of the best creative players in world football.
That was evident on Friday, as Salah created five chances for his teammates, including one which qualified as a ‘big chance.’
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But it was not only his creativity which came to the fore, the Liverpool icon also showed that his dribbling skills are still very much intact, completing all three of his attempted dribbles across 120 minutes.
His passing was good enough, with a success rate of 79%, while Salah really excelled in duels against Australia as well, winning all six attempted on the ground and the only he contested in the air as well.
Though it did not come with a goal or an assist, Salah was still the fulcrum of this Egyptian display, and, with a little tweak in position, has shown that he very much still has something to offer.
Next Tuesday’s clash with Argentina will pose a sterner test, but in this kind of form, you would not bet against Salah to roll back the years once again.
Could Liverpool do a U-turn on Salah?
A segment of Liverpool supporters have been hoping that there could be a way back for Salah ever since he left the club in May.
The Reds’ unsuccessful pursuit of Yan Diomande has only heightened that hope, with the truth being that there aren’t any real standout options to replace the veteran on Liverpool’s right.
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Ultimately, perhaps the best way is for the Reds to come back, cap in hand, to Salah, and see whether he might see out that final year of his previous contract after all.
Though this would be a hugely popular move amongst the majority of supporters, it seems highly unlikely to happen.
Arne Slot was seemingly a big part of the problem for Salah, as was Richard Hughes, and with Slot gone and Hughes on the way out, that issue will soon be completely removed.
Salah is also yet to sign with a new club, with rumours on his next destination going completely quiet.
While that is understandable while the World Cup continues, could it be that the Egypt captain is waiting for a call from his former employer?
It feels unlikely, but with Liverpool scrabbling in the market and Mo showing that he still has plenty to offer, you just can’t rule it out completely. Not yet, anyway.
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