Mohamed Salah might be sidelined with a hamstring injury after competing at the Africa Cup of Nations - but that hasn’t stopped him having an impact in the Liverpool dressing room.
Salah has missed the Reds’ last seven matches, with it currently unclear if he’ll be fit to return against Burnley on Saturday
Prior to Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Arsenal, Liverpool had coped well without their star man.
Winning five of their last seven games, fellow forwards Jota, Nunez, Diaz and Gakpo have provided 11 goals and seven assists in Salah’s absence.
And of the quartet, Nunez is the only one not to have stepped in on the right wing
Harvey Elliott has also featured in the position over the past month
When reflecting on his own relationship with Salah, the 20-year-old admitted he knew that he would likely have to switch positions because of the Egyptian when he first joined the club.
Elliott
"I think to the very day I retire I'll always be learning different things from different players and Mo is a great example of that,"
"Especially because we kind of played the same position when I first joined the club.
“I signed as a right winger, knowing that it would take a miracle to take his spot! I had to adapt my game but there were things I could take from that position into the midfield where I play now: goalscoring threat, creativity and stuff like that.
Elliott has also revealed how Salah has been continuing to help him and his younger Liverpool team-mates during his enforced absence.
Elliott added
"With Mo, he's always trying not only to push myself but the other youngsters as well and, in all fairness, he doesn't really need to do it,”
"He's an icon on and off the pitch and it would be easy to just focus on himself and keep making sure he's breaking records and so on, but he takes time out of his day to check in on us, to make sure we know that if we need anything, he's always there to give us pointers.
"For instance, although he was at the AFCON with Egypt, he messaged me after the Arsenal game in the last round of the FA Cup saying, 'how did you find it?' and so on. They are the things he doesn't have to do but he's just a great human being and always wants the best for everyone.
"To have him in the team and to see what he's accomplished is just unbelievable and it's a pleasure to share the pitch with him."
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