Eden Hazard has conceded Mohamed Salah “did not get his chance at Chelsea” as the former club-mates prepare to meet as rivals at Anfield on Saturday, with the Belgian so impressed by the impact made by the winger at Liverpool that he intends to ask after the match for his shirt.

Chelsea had trumped Liverpool in January 2014 to secure the Egyptian from Basel for around £11m when Salah was in effect replacing the departed Juan Mata, only for him to find opportunities limited under the management of José Mourinho. He made six Premier League starts, his top-flight career failing to extend beyond nine hours of football, before loans to Fiorentina and Roma and, eventually, a permanent move to the Stadio Olimpico.

Liverpool lured him back last summer for a club record £36.9m and he has 14 goals in 19 matches, a haul no player at the club has bettered in a season since 2013–14. That has marked him out as a threat in Saturday’s late kick-off. “He is still my friend and we are still in contact,” said Hazard. “He’s a top, top, top player. He did not get his chance at Chelsea – maybe because of the manager, because of the other players? I don’t know.

“He has quality but in that period I remember we had me, Willian, Oscar, so for him it was not easy. But he’s a top player, for sure, and we know as a team the quality he has. He is a fantastic striker and this season he has scored a lot of goals. It is always good to play against a friend but Liverpool is not only about Salah. They have a lot of quality players.”

The Merseyside club’s recruitment department, headed by Dave Fallows, continued to scout Salah throughout his time in Serie A, with their background checks extending to the player’s performance in training camps as well as matches. Jürgen Klopp has suggested the 25-year-old had been “a kid” at Chelsea but is “a man now” and more physically able to compete in the Premier League. “But in training he would do everything,” said Hazard. “Even in the games when he was playing, sometimes he would score goals, so we knew the quality he had. I am just happy for him.

“I watched him when he played for Roma – one of my friends from the national team, Radja Nainggolan, is also there – and he did very well. Now he is still at the top. And then even with his country he did well to reach the World Cup. At Liverpool he is still doing well, so I think we need to be careful with him. I want to ask him for his shirt, for sure, on Saturday.”

The pair intend to speak on Friday, with Hazard having understood Salah’s desire to leave Chelsea first on loan, and then permanently in summer 2016, in search of regular first-team football. “His feeling was good,” he said. “When you are not playing at a club you need to go. You need a chance and he took his chance at Fiorentina, so he did everything that you have to do when you are not playing. If I was not playing, I’d want to go. That’s normal because of all the players want to play. With him he did well and I am just happy for him.”

Hazard’s penalty against Qarabag on Wednesday was a sixth goal in seven matches, confirming his return to form and full fitness after a slow start to the campaign following ankle surgery. Chelsea will have only one training session before the Liverpool game, having returned to Gatwick at around 3am on Thursday, but that comfortable win in Azerbaijan allowed Antonio Conte to rest some key players – including Hazard – over the final minutes of the Group C fixture.

“I am feeling good, 100%,” Hazard added. “A lot of players didn’t play on Wednesday and I played only 60 minutes and N’Golo [Kanté] also came off, so we can be fresh on Saturday, even if the game is close. We are professional; we can deal with this. We will do everything; we will do recovery and we will see on Saturday. Confidence is high; everything is in our hands to win games.”