Liverpool coach, Jurgen Klopp has revealed the reasons forward, Mohamed Salah did not succeed under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.
Klopp believes Salah’s young age was part of the reason behind his struggles at the West London club.
The Egyptian joined Chelsea from Basel in January 2014, but made just 19 appearances across all competitions before being loaned out to Serie A side, Fiorentina a year later.
The 25-year-old subsequently joined AS Roma in the summer of 2016 and after a successful season with the Italian club, he returned to England to join Liverpool for a world club record fee last summer.
Salah has scored 43 goals in 47 appearances for the Reds this season, with many questioning Mourinho’s decision to sell him without giving the forward much opportunity at Stamford Bridge.
Klopp, however, insisted that Mourinho isn’t to blame and feels the Blues’ squad at the time made it almost impossible for Salah to make a breakthrough.
“He was a kid when he came to Chelsea. And Chelsea had a squad that was unbelievable so it was really difficult,” Klopp told Channel 4 news.
“Kevin de Bruyne didn’t play in that squad, that’s a lot.
“I think we all agree Jose Mourinho is a fantastic manager so sometimes things are like that. So it doesn’t work, step aside try again and you can still succeed and that’s exactly what happened with Mohamed.
“To be player of the year already is an outstanding achievement. But to be it in a season with all these other players around, when De Bruyne plays the season he had, David Silva, Leroy Sane.
“[Even] our boys Roberto Firmino [and] Sadio Mane, are playing these kinds of season and it’s still a big thing. It was not an easy choice for the people but obviously it was clear enough because he performed at a high level.”
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