Martin Keown: Salah doesn't want to get hurt

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (right) celebrates scoring his side's third goal from the penalty spot

Tuesday Nov 06, 2018. 08:00

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes that there is something missing from Mohamed Salah's game this season.

The Egyptian winger was ineffective in Liverpool's 1-1 draw away to Arsenal in the English Premier League this past weekend and Keown was left to ponder if the 26-year-old has fully recovered from the injury he sustained in the UEFA Champions League final earlier this year.

Salah, who scored 44 goals in his maiden season at Anfield, picked up an injury following a collision with Sergio Ramos in Kiev as he saw his involvement in the final come to a premature end.

The attacker duly missed his country's opening game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia as the Pharaohs crashed out following three straight defeats.

“Mohamed Salah doesn’t look the real deal to me," Keown told BT Sport. “He was very quiet today. Something is wrong. He doesn’t seem to want to get hurt. He’s not the same player. Maybe it’s still the injury.”

Salah has scored seven and assisted a further four goals in 15 games across all competitions this season.