'Salah is showing touches of Messi' - Wenger hails Liverpool star as a 'complete player'

The one-time Arsenal boss has drawn comparisons between the Reds winger and the Barcelona superstar

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has compared forward Mohamed Salah to Lionel Messi and called the Egyptian "a complete player".

Salah set up Naby Keita’s opening goal in the Reds’ 2-1 win over Monterrey in the Club World Cup semi-final in on Wednesday, taking him to 13 goals and seven assists in 23 games across all competitions for the season.

And Wenger was impressed with the forward’s ability to both score goals and set them up, praising his transformation from merely a goalscorer.

“I like his evolution,” Wenger said to beIN Sports. “Because he had touches last night [against Monterrey] of a playmaker.

“He created chances around the box that are exceptional, [there were shades] of Messi in him last night and I like that a guy who can score so many goals also becomes the guy who gives assists.

“That is a complete player. That’s what we all admire and what we want from our players.”

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp, speaking in the same interview, was asked about his experiences with Salah, having coached him for just over two years now.

“Very good, very good experiences [with Salah] but the most positive was on the training ground – sensationally good,” Klopp said.

“On the pitch he’s great, really, really good.”

Klopp also mentioned the weight of expectation placed on Salah’s shoulders as the highest-profile Arabic footballer in the game at the moment, with particular scrutiny from the Qatari crowd at the match against Monterrey on the Egyptian’s performances.

“[The stadium] was especially loud when Mo came on the screen,” Klopp continued. “I wouldn’t want to be in his position, with all the attention on me constantly, each touch.

“He’s dealing really well with that [pressure], but don’t forget he’s a really normal person and he wants to have some relaxation as well from time to time.”

Liverpool will play in the Club World Cup final on Saturday and will face Brazilian outfit Flamengo, who came back from behind to win 3-1 against Al-Hilal in the other semi-final.