Arne Slot names the Liverpool player who is an 'animal' in training ahead of Lille game
Arne Slot described Mohamed Salah as an "animal" when it comes to shooting practice at the AXA Training Center.
The Egyptian is the joint-seventh top scorer in Premier League history and has scored prolifically in every season since he joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017.
This campaign has been no different, with Salah currently topping the scoring charts with 18 goals in the league, plus three more in other competitions.
As well as being a great goalscorer, Salah is also a brilliant provider: he has 17 assists to his name so far this season, 13 of which have come in the league, which also makes him the division's leading assist-maker in 2024-25.
Salah has set incredibly high standards over the last eight seasons, but he has arguably taken his game to a new level under new head coach Arne Slot, and Slot had high praise for his talisman during a new interview with TNT Sports.
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"What makes him special is he can take the one-v-one on but he also has a great pass," Slot said. "So the timing of his pass, like this (assist for Gakpo against Leverkusen). It is difficult to defend, so if we inside runs or opposite-side runs, he is the one that pick [out] those runners.
"He is so clinical and he is like: 'Okay, if I have to hit this ball', he is in the best possible way and his whole body is ready to hit the ball in the best possible way. In training? When it comes to finishing he definitely is [ready].
"During the session or after the session, he always wants to do some shooting, then he is an animal. He always wants to compete, he always wants players with him so he can say: 'Let's make a game out of this, who scores the most?'
"If it comes to 11-versus-11 and it's in between two games I wouldn't say he is an animal but he is doing just enough to be the possible version of himself during the weekend.
"For me, it's mostly about the short term and making sure these players keep doing what they are doing, offensively and defensively. We are trying to get him into that position (most goals and assists in a season). Therefore he has to stay fit as well."
