BBC Radio Five Live pundit Alan Hutton has urged Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to not risk the fitness of Mohamed Salah ahead of the Reds’ Champions League final.
The Lowdown: Salah’s injury setback
The 29-year-old was forced off the pitch during last weekend’s FA Cup final against Chelsea with what appeared to be a groin injury, and suffering this setback also meant that he was ruled out of action for Tuesday night’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Southampton.
The German boss confirmed earlier this week that the Egyptian might have an outside chance of making the bench for the season finale against Wolves on Sunday, but with just under a week between that game and the Champions League final, Hutton is not so sure.
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The Latest: Hutton’s message to Klopp
Speaking during an interview with Football Insider, the former Premier League full-back reiterated that there isn’t any need for Klopp to risk his star man, saying the ‘big thing’ is being ready for the clash against the Spanish giants.
“It looked like a groin issue, I’m led to believe. The thing is that the Champions League final is not until May 28th.
“Obviously, it’s Liverpool’s last game at home on Sunday. If he’s ready and he feels good, he could maybe play 10, 15 minutes in that one.
“I don’t think you have to risk him. That’s the big thing. For these games, they’ve got players who can come in and do a job, to a high level may I add.
“Keep Salah, because fully fit, he plays. It’s quite as simple as that. Keep him fit and get him ready for the Madrid game.
“These are big games they’re going to be playing in. They have won two trophies. As a winner, you’re desperate to go on and pick up even more trophies.
“They’ve got a decent squad, I think Jurgen Klopp rotates at the right times. For the bigger games, he reverts back to what he knows and thinks will do the job on the day.
“They only have a few games left so I think they will be more than capable. I don’t think that should be a massive issue.”
The Verdict: Liverpool’s star player
The 82-cap international first arrived at Anfield in a £34m move from Roma back in 2017, and he has since gone on to become perhaps the key cog in the Merseyside machine.
During his five years in the top-flight, Salah has so far made 252 appearances for the Reds, registering an outstanding 218 goal contributions, as per Transfermarkt, showing just how prolific he can be in the final third.
Despite being such an influential player on the pitch for Liverpool, if the striker isn’t declared fully fit in time to face Madrid, then the Reds do at least have options to rotate in after the January capture of Luis Diaz and return to fitness of Roberto Firmino, so risking Salah vs Wolves would indeed feel a bit foolish.
In other news… a Sky Sports pundit has backed the Reds to complete a surprising swap deal this summer.
