Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Mohamed Salah’s performances this season “deserved” to earn him a spot in the PFA Team of the Year.
While it’s fair to say Salah hasn’t reached the same heights of last season, he’s still bagged 19 Premier League goals in 35 outings.
Therefore, the Egyptian superstar is level with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the league’s top-scorer.
Just like the six-man shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award, however, Salah has once more been left out of another honour in the Premier League’s Team of the Year.
“Mo would have deserved it again. He’s up there again with the top scorers, scored so many incredibly important goals for us,” said Klopp on the club’s website.
“Gini [Wijnaldum] plays an incredible season, 100 per cent. Hendo [Jordan Henderson] is in a shape where if they would vote today then he would probably be in and stuff like that, so it’s good.
“But all the other players obviously deserve it as well. It is the players’ decision, so we have to accept it, but I’m really happy for them.”
Liverpool were still well represented in the line-up anyway through Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane.
“It is impressive, it is good and deserved as well,” said Klopp.
“For me, my team is the team of the season anyway. That’s true because there could have been – from my point of view – four, five, six or seven more players involved because they played an outstanding season in so many moments.
“But of course the players in the Premier League make the decision, so that’s then the most honest competition of the year.
“Even when the players don’t watch all the games, they probably watch, most of the time, the summaries, so it is even more special when you come in a team of the year.
“As a defender then it’s mostly of the players they played against and felt obviously quite uncomfortable and thought, ‘It was not easy today’. That’s cool and so deserved.”
Liverpool will take on Huddersfield Town on Friday night for their next Premier League match, with kick-off set for 21:00 (CET).