Mohamed Salah has described teammate Dominik Szoboszlai as “one of the best players in the world” after the Hungary international scored for Liverpool in their 3-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Szoboszlai netted Liverpool’s second of the night to help the Reds cruise through to the fifth round of the FA Cup. The goal was the midfielder’s 10th of the season, meaning he is well on course to surpass his best-ever goal tally in a single campaign (12 goals for RB Leipzig in 2019-20).
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Asked whether Liverpool can win the FA Cup this term, Salah told TNT Sports: “It’s going to depend on his [Szoboszlai’s] performances. He is one of the best players in the world right now. It’s good for everyone and I hope we can do it again.
“I’m glad we managed to win the game today. It was very big for the confidence.”
Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s standout performer this season and has been tipped in some quarters to become the next club captain after Virgil van Dijk.
Asked in his news conference whether the 25-year-old has the attributes to be a leader within the squad, head coach Arne Slot said: “Yes, but he is still young. He has a lot of attributes already, especially when it comes to leading by example.
“There is still a step to make in terms of leadership, a voice in the dressing room if I compare him to Virgil, which is completely normal. Virgil is 34 and has seen [James] Milner, [Jordan] Henderson and these players, so it’s really good for Dominik that he sees Virgil and that would be the next step for him; to be as vocal and as loud as Virgil is but that comes with time.
“But for all the other things, he has a lot to become a very influential player for Liverpool and you could call that a leader.”
Szoboszlai is in his third season at Anfield after arriving from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
“Dominik is great example of the model we are using at this club,” added Slot. “We sign young players from another league, in this situation Leipzig, where he was already known as a player for being really physical but I think it’s fair for me to say the player we brought in was already good but where is he now, he is much better than where he was two-and-a-half years ago.
“That is what you get if you sign young players, give them a bit of time and let them play a lot. That’s why the trajectory he has been through can be the same trajectory for other players we have signed from other leagues.”
Szoboszlai’s goal Saturday — his fifth in his last eight matches — was just the latest in a growing collection of special efforts as he fired a powerful first-time shot into the net.
“I try to do my best every game and then if I have the chance to shoot, finally I take the decision to shoot. And sometimes I hit it good and it goes in,” Szoboszlai told ESPN. “I just want to keep going.”
