Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah has revealed that he is prioritising a Premier League title victory ahead of breaking individual records this season.
If the 26-year-old manages to find the net at Anfield against Watford on Wednesday evening, he will become the fastest player in history to reach the 50-goal mark for one club in the Premier League.
The current record is held by former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer, who achieved the feat in his 66th appearance for the Magpies, but Salah could now set a new benchmark of 64 games.
Should he fail to score against the Hornets, Salah could still break the record by netting against Liverpool’s arch-rivals Everton on Sunday, but he insists that winning the title is his main focus.
The Reds are currently top of the league by a point ahead of reigning champions Manchester City, after securing a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United in their last outing.
“It would be nice to score number 50, number 51 and 52! I always push myself to score more goals and to perform better,” Salah began, as per Sky Sports.
“Of course, records are nice, but for me, the Premier League is now the most important thing.
“It is a very big week. There are three games in eight days and if we can do well in them and still be top of the table that’s big for us.
“After that, there will only be nine games left and we will have time to recover for them and time to think about that.”
Since joining Liverpool from Roma in the summer of 2017, Salah has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the English game, finishing as the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner with 32 goals last term.
He was also named sixth in last year’s voting for the Ballon d’Or and he has carried that form into the 2018-19 campaign, top of the scoring charts with 17 alongside City hitman Sergio Aguero.
Despite his impressive numbers, Salah still sees himself as a natural winger rather than a centre-forward, as he added: “I have played at centre-forward a lot this season but I still also play as a winger and have scored many goals as a winger.
“I don’t like to brand myself a No. 9 because the way I play, it’s never like I hold the ball and am always physically strong.
“As a striker, I have to drop deep to get the ball and go past the players so, even when I play as a nine, my position is a different type of game to many centre-forwards.
“When I play No. 9 I drop deep to play as a No. 10, too, to keep the ball and dribble.
“I am always trying to help the team score goals and I am still one of the top scorers in the Premier League so I am happy about that.”
Salah is expected to retain his spot in the starting line-up against Watford, with Liverpool looking to return to winning ways after a run of four draws from their last five matches.
You Must logged in to add comments. Login