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Gini Wijnaldum has dismissed concerns about Mohamed Salah's form as he backed the Liverpool winger to prove he belongs in the same class as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Dutch midfielder is convinced the goals will start to flow again for the Egypt international, who has only netted once in his last six appearances ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Napoli.

Salah has yet to hit the heights of last term when he plundered a record-breaking 44 goals but Wijnaldum insists he's still making a big contribution for the Reds.

“I've told Mo that I expect more hat-tricks this season as last year there was only one,” Wijnaldum smiled.

“Two is not enough now! He has to score three. He will tell you if you ask him!

“He said that I was right. I told him 'Mo, you are a top player, if you look at Messi and Ronaldo, they score a lot of hat-tricks – you have to do the same if you want to compete with them.

“Now we have Mo, we are so used to him scoring goals. Maybe last season, he didn’t have some good games but he always scored goals. People see that and say 'Ah, he played well'.

“But now he is not scoring and people are saying he is in a difficult situation and not in good shape. I don’t see it that way.

“He still works hard, he still creates big chances. I think against Chelsea, he had three chances where he could score a goal. He could have given an assist to Roberto (Firmino). I don’t think it’s that bad.

“I don’t see the difference. I think he had scored one more at this stage last season than he has this year. That's the only difference.”

Living up to the standards he set last season was always going to be tough but Wijnaldum believes Salah isn't feeling that weight of expectation on his shoulders.

“I said to him 'Mo, it’s not only one year' and he said 'You're right.' We were joking but if someone can deal with pressure, it is Mo,” Wijnaldum added.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“Last season he had pressure when people were saying he had to be the top scorer of the league. We told him he couldn’t let anyone catch him.

“When he was on 18 goals, he said 'In my head, I can see the 32 (Premier League goals)'. I thought 'Okay, make sure you get 32'.

“Mo is not someone that is scared of pressure. He embraces the pressure. He knows that he can do it."

There's no such debate currently about Wijnaldum's form. The former Newcastle United man has enjoyed a highly impressive start to the season – showcasing his versatility in both defensive and attacking midfield roles.

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“I don't know if this is the best form of my career but I just want to continue the run by playing good games. That’s what I think about most,” he said.

“I'm still learning. Everyone in the team is still learning. It's something new for me to play in different positions.

“I know it’s something I can do and the manager has told me since last season that he would play me in different positions so I was aware of what would happen.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“I think we can still develop as a team a lot more. It’s still the beginning of the season. We’ve only played nine games. The most important thing is that you grow throughout the season – that you are at your strongest at the middle and at the end.

“We are going good and we have the results we want but we are analysing a lot to get even better because that will help us to win a lot more games.”