Jurgen Klopp Admits Reds New Boy Surpassing All Expectations With Lighting Start to Anfield Life

Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Mohamed Salah has performed beyond his wildest expectations in his opening games at Liverpool, after his arrival for a club-record fee this summer. 

The Egyptian has already found the net five times in his Anfield career - scoring three in five Premier League games and notching twice at crucial moments in the Champions League, including a key second goal in last week's 2-2 draw with Sevilla. 

Speaking this week ahead of the Reds' Premier League clash with Leicester, Klopp gushed: “Mo has played better than anyone could have imagined. He’s a very good player, one we were convinced about. That’s why we did it.

“You could see in the first game at Watford, it was quite difficult for him at the beginning. It was really physical and maybe a few people had doubts and thought it would be difficult for him. But now he’s much more stable. 

"When he was at Chelsea, he was only a kid there. Now he’s much more mature, his style of play and also physically. Everything is better. I’m not surprised but you should not take things like this for granted as sometimes new players need time.”

The German contrasted Salah's fast start against Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's high-profile stumbles at the beginning of his own time on Merseyside, noting that the former Chelsea man's full pre-season at the club benefited him in ways that Oxlade-Chamberlain's deadline day move did not. 

“He had a whole pre-season," he said, "which changed everything so it’s not settling in in a minute, which people now probably expect from [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain]. Mo had a pre-season, good sessions, bad sessions, good games, less good games, so it’s all good.”