Manchester United trio show respect as Liverpool legend Mo Salah confirms his departure from the club. A final Old Trafford showdown looms.
Mohammed Salah has been nothing short of a force of nature since he arrived in the Premier League in 2017. Signing for a then club-record fee of £36.9 million from AS Roma, the Egyptian winger took England by storm.
Over his nine seasons at Anfield, Salah has scored an incredible 255 goals and assisted a further 122 across his 435 fixtures, cementing himself as both a Liverpool and Premier League legend.
As for his record against Manchester United, the 33-year-old failed to score or assist in his first four appearances against the Red Devils.
However, what then ensued was a run of 16 goals and six assists in just 14 fixtures against United, including five goals and two assists across two games during the 2021/22 campaign.
United stars react to Salah's Liverpool exit
On Tuesday evening, Salah announced on social media that he had decided to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, with reports stating that he had effectively 'walked away' from his contract.
It was also stated across the media that the winger would leave Liverpool as a free agent this summer, rather than for a transfer fee.
In his Instagram post, three of United's current crop can be seen showing clear appreciation for Salah. One is Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu, who liked the post, and another is Bryan Mbeumo.
Mbeumo was initially touted as a possible replacement for Salah at Liverpool last summer, although the Cameroon international chose to sign for his boyhood club, United, instead. He will no doubt appreciate the impact Salah has had on the game.
A third is young star, JJ Gabriel. The 15-year-old Academy forward has been rising through the ranks at Carrington and has grown up in an age that has seen the likes of Salah, Kevin de Bruyne, and Bruno Fernandes dominate the English game.
Salah has one last chance at Old Trafford
A fairly haunting stat surrounding Salah and his scoring efficiency is that, since 2020, the Egyptian is the eighth-highest Premier League goalscorer at Old Trafford.
This is a list of all United players who play at the ground 18 times a season, compared to Salah's maximum of once a campaign in the league.
Liverpool and United are competing for Champions League spots, and although United sit third in the table, six points ahead of Liverpool in sixth, with seven games to go in the league, there is still scope for change.
A signifiacnt reason for this is Liverpool will travel to Old Trafford in the fourth-final game of the campaign, and it could be a decisive fixture in the race for European spots. Salah has one final chance to haunt United before he leaves.