Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, England international Kalvin Phillips has named Liverpool star Mohamed Salah as the best player he’s ever played against.
The Leeds midfielder is currently enjoying his first season of top-flight football, and he was given something of a baptism of fire on the opening day of the season as he came up againt defending champions Liverpool.
Phillips was talking about how challenging he is finding Premier League football so far, and he said that Salah was a prime example of the step up in quality, naming him as the best player he’s played against.
“Once I got into the final third, everything was just so much quicker, and going to Liverpool in that first game, it’s not going to get much harder than you know, the front three that they’ve got, and the way they pass a ball,” Phillips said.
“The main thing was when we got into the final third or even the defending third like how quickly they moved the ball, and how sharp they were. I played Salah, he scored a hat trick in that game, he’s the best player I’ve played against so far, he was just so sharp, he was unbelievable.”
It’s great to hear Salah getting some well-deserved praise from his fellow professional, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
Imagine being in Phillips’ shoes. Your first ever game in top-flight football and you lose 4-3 all thanks to a hat-trick from one of the deadliest attackers in the division. It’s no wonder why he was so in awe of him.
To be honest, most players in the Premier League would probably say the same about Salah, but it’s still great to hear such a talented player talking about Liverpool’s talisman in this way.
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