Roy Keane has admitted he now counts Mohamed Salah among the world's elite footballers, a status he hadn't fully granted until this season. The ex-Manchester United skipper noted that while Salah's ability has always been clear, his performance in the 2024/25 campaign convinced him of the player's greatness.

In a chat on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, with Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright, and Jill Scott, Keane reflected: "I know he's getting the plaudits now, but over the last few years was there still a few little doubts about him?

"He had his little fallout with [Jurgen] Klopp last year when he was taken off. I was never putting Salah up there, but I think after this year I always rated him of course, I thought he was a brilliant [player] but this year I'm like, 'now I'm putting you in the mix'."

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Keane opened up about his earlier hesitations about Salah's rank among football's best, acknowledging how much the forward has improved during his time at Anfield. Interestingly, Keane was not the only one with such reservations; Liverpool legend Carragher too had previously questioned Salah's form, especially after his stint at the African Cup of Nations the previous January.

The former defender explained: "He went to the African Cup of Nations last season, come back and he wasn't the same player and it was the first time you could ever go, 'oooh'. He was injured, wasn't fully fit, and it was a case of Liverpool turned down I think probably about £120M, £150M the season before for him, when the Saudi thing first kicked off.

"And it was, 'OK, can we still get that money?' a year later, but he ended up staying and I think the version of Mo Salah now is much better than even his first season, which I think he got 47 goals... I think. But this is a complete package now rather than just a goalscorer."

Salah has been in impressive form this season. He has scored 25 goals and provided 17 assists in 28 Premier League matches, playing a crucial role in Liverpool's title challenge.

Liverpool currently leads the table by 13 points, ahead of second-placed Arsenal, with 10 games remaining. Although Salah didn't score in their recent 2-0 win over Newcastle United, he showed his value by assisting Alexis Mac Allister's goal in the 63rd minute.

Salah dazzled once again, receiving the ball in the penalty area from Mac Allister. He danced past Lewis Hall and Dan Burn with deft footwork before setting up his teammate to slot home, helping Liverpool cement their dominance both domestically and in Europe. With three goals and four assists under his belt in the Champions League, Salah propelled the Reds to top their group stage.

As they brace themselves for a challenging last-16 tie against PSG next week, there's increasing turmoil surrounding Salah's tenure at Anfield. His contract is winding down, with no hint of a fresh agreement as summer approaches.

Confronted with questions over contract talks during an interview with Steve McManaman for TNT Sports, Salah gave only a sly smile and a head shake, curtly remarking, "In a very polite way, no."

Liverpool boss Arne Slot hasn't shied away from expressing his desire to keep Salah into the 2025/26 season. Emphasizing Salahs remarkable run at the club, Slot remarked: "Mo has had some outstanding seasons here at Liverpool, and we hope he can continue this for a longer period of time. But to do that, he first has to extend his contract of course, and you guys don't ask me about that anymore, so that's a positive."

Liverpool.com says: Salah is the best player in the world at the moment and the Egyptian is showing no signs of slowing down. Signing him up to a new contract has to be a massive priority before his current deal expires.