If Virgil van Dijk cost Liverpool $100 million, imagine how much Mohamed Salah is currently worth?
The Egypt forward is exceeding all expectations in his first season at Anfield and scored another two goals to help Liverpool come from behind to beat Leicester 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
That’s 23 goals in all competitions by the turn of the year – matching the 56-year club record held by Roger Hunt – of which 17 have come in the league.
“He is still a young player,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said of the 25-year-old Salah. “He can improve.”
It is looking like 42 million euros ($49 million) well spent this summer following Salah’s move from Roma. Van Dijk was in the directors’ box to watch his new employers after agreeing this week to a move to Liverpool from Southampton for double that fee.
The Dutch center back will do well to match Salah’s impact at Anfield.
Events hours later made it an even better day for Liverpool, with Manchester United held 0-0 at home by Southampton for a third straight draw over the Christmas period. Liverpool, in fourth place, is only three points behind United.
Chelsea beat Stoke 5-0 to climb to second place, 13 points behind Manchester City, which plays Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Salah responded to Jamie Vardy’s third-minute opener at Anfield to score in the 52nd and 76th minutes, and move onto 23 goals by the turn of the year, the same as Hunt had in the 1961-62 campaign.
An errant pass by Joel Matip, who might end up losing his place to Van Dijk, led to Vardy’s goal that was set up by Riyad Mahrez.
Salah had four decent chances before equalizing eight minutes into the second half, running onto Sadio Mane’s back-heel and holding off Christian Fuchs and Daniel Amartey to pick his spot beyond goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
He grabbed the winner in the 76th after another back-heel, this time from James Milner.
Salah is one goal behind the league’s top scorer, Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
Man United striker Romelu Lukaku was carried off on a stretcher, wearing an oxygen mask, in the first half of his team’s draw against Southampton.
Lukaku required a long period of treatment after a clash of heads with Southampton defender Wesley Hoedt. He wasn’t immediately taken to hospital.
United had already drawn against Leicester and Burnley over the past week, damaging further its slim hopes of catching City.
