Why resting Salah against Southampton would be the wrong move for Liverpool boss Klopp

Resting Mohamed Salah for Liverpool’s clash with Southampton would be the wrong move, with the Egyptian needing to ‘feel the love’ from Jurgen Klopp.

Salah has looked jaded in recent games and has not performed to the same high level that he managed last season.

Former Arsenal and England legend Rachel Yankey thinks that the ‘mentally tough’ World Cup Salah endured with Egypt is taking its toll, as well as the injury he suffered in the Champions League final.

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Rather than giving Salah a break though, Yankey reckons Klopp should continue to play Salah and back his star man to produce the goods again, even if recreating last season will be tough.

“I think that he had the injury, he had the World Cup and he didn’t do particularly well at the World Cup for Egypt, who didn’t do that well either,” Yankey told Yahoo Sport Presents: The Football Show.

“Mentally it’s quite tough, you’ve got to try and recreate the season that he had, which was unbelievable.

“I suppose the good thing for Liverpool is that other players are stepping up, so he can recharge his batteries. It’s a long season too and it’s the only the start.”

Salah has only gone three games without a goal, having netted twice in the Reds’ first three Premier League games.

But that is something of a drought for a player of his standard and it may be playing on Salah’s mind, having never gone more than two games without a goal last season.

‘You know how good you can be and what you have done, and what the fans expect of you,” Yankey added.

“You want to make sure that you’re doing the best for your team. He was the main man last season and wants to be that again, so I think he wants to make it happen.

“Sometimes you need to relax a little bit and calm down, so his manager will be important for him, to calm him down and reassure him.

“The worst thing to do would be to take him out of the team. Sometimes you need that rest and get out the limelight, others you need to be in there and feel the love from your manager.

“He’s getting into positions and he is trying hard, so fingers crossed it’ll come off for him.”