'I was a Premier League star - Mohamed Salah forced me to become a better player'

Ex-Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has hailed Liverpool star Mohamed Salah for making him a better player.

Aguero, who joined Manchester City back in 2011 from Atletico Madrid, scored a whopping 184 goals in 275 Premier League games, winning five titles. The Argentine left the Etihad in 2021 after his contract expired, joining Barcelona for a five game spell before having to retire due to a cardiac arrhythmia.

The former City star's final seasons at the Etihad coincided with the arrival of Salah on Merseyside, who is currently sitting on 165 Premier league goals. Given the most goals Salah had ever scored in a single season prior to joining Liverpool was his final one at Roma, where he scored 19 goals in 41 games, his transformation into one of the best forwards in the world whilst at Anfield has been nothing short of spectacular.

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For Liverpool, he has never scored less than 23 goals in all competitions over the last seven campaigns, and will undoubtedly surpass that mark this term, with the Egyptian having scored 12 in 18 so far this season. And Aguero has revealed the arrival of Salah in the Premier League made him a better player, giving the Argentine more competition to compete with. Aguero told Stake.com: "What an amazing player.

"Mo Salah has been a major player for Liverpool, and still is. Talented in many ways, a goalscorer that is always relevant. We had several face-offs and that had an impact – playing against great players like him forces you to be more competitive and to be better."

And when asked about the title race, which currently sees Liverpool eight points clear of Manchester City, Aguero added: "Pundits are always quick to call the race and my response is always the same: it ain't over until it's over. The current point advantage may be insignificant by the end of the season. We've seen that happen frequently.

“The 2011/2012 season had us eight points below United and we took that trophy. Of course, beating Liverpool will certainly help, but it's not wise to make such sweeping statements when the tournament still has a long way to go.

“Rodri's injury had a deep impact, especially when you consider he might be off for the whole season. I could imagine Pep looking to sign a midfielder... but I'd expect it to be someone Pep is certain to be a top-quality player."

Liverpool.com says: "Aguero isn't wrong, Salah is an amazing player and one Liverpool should be offering a new deal to. The 32-year-old is out of contract in the summer, and could shockingly leave the Reds at the end of the season if the dispute between his team and Liverpool is not resolved sharp."