Salah has the same problems as Pogba, says former Red

Mohammed Salah

Wednesday Oct 17, 2018. 16:00

Former Liverpool and Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince believes that both Mohamed Salah and Paul Pogba are suffering from 2018 FIFA World Cup hangovers.

Salah has yet to replicate the sort of form that propelled him to the golden boot accolade last season, and has only scored three times in 11 appearances across all competitions this term.

The Egypt international netted 44 goals in the 2017-18 season as the Reds reached the UEFA Champions League final.

Ince believes that both Pogba and Salah might be suffering with fatigue. The latter returned early to Merseyside from international duty, after suffering a strained thigh muscle in victory over eSwatini this past weekend.

"Yeah, Salah's struggling, but he's an outstanding player," Ince told Express Sport.

"You can't drop him as you need to keep those three (Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane) together.

"He was injured at the end of last season and maybe wasn't fully fit for Egypt.

"I know Pogba was great for France but he's not been as impressive for United. That could be because of the World Cup.

"I've played in these tournaments and they're far from easy. They're draining and can be exhausting.

"That could be why Salah is struggling, and possibly Pogba too," he concluded.