Frank Lampard: 'Superstar' Mohamed Salah's Talent Was Visible at Chelsea

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said he could see the talent of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah when the two played together, crediting the Egyptian for working hard to become a superstar.

Per Goal's Nizaar Kinsella, Lampard spoke at length about his former team-mate ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash between the Reds and Blues:

"It is hard because everyone has their own pathways? Unfortunately for Mo, it didn’t work out here but it is great credit to him. He went to Italy and then came back and now he is a superstar.

"As for his path, it is hard to compare to what may have been. I had an overlap with him. The talent was obviously there. At the time, I think we had a lot of options in attacking areas. Number 10s, wingers and he didn’t get as many opportunities for whatever reason but yes you could see the talent was there.

"But the player that he is now or that came back to Liverpool I think you have to say huge credit is due. You don’t have to search for anything more than look at Mo himself. You have to say what professionalism and work ethic to leave a club like Chelsea is not easy.

"People then cast you aside and say you won’t make it there. He went onto be the superstar he is now. It is completely credit to Mo himself."

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Salah joined the Blues from FC Basel in 2014 but didn't find much success in west London, in part because of limited opportunities.

He joined Fiorentina on loan in February 2015 and continued his development in Italy, becoming an established star with AS Roma. The 27-year-old returned to England a changed man in 2017, scoring at a phenomenal rate for Liverpool:

In his first season at Anfield, he scored a Premier League-record 32 goals in 38 matches, and he followed that up by winning the UEFA Champions League during the 2018-19 campaign.

Because of his scoring exploits, team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doesn't mind that Salah is a little selfish at times:

Lampard played down the conflict between Salah and Sadio Mane that Oxlade-Chamberlain was referring to, stemming from when the former didn't pass to the latter during a win over Burnley, leading to a row.

The Chelsea boss remembered a similar incident during his playing days:

"I remember being in the dressing room with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. After I scored at Southampton, he complained that I hadn’t passed to him in the game and he said I should have passed to him in the game and in a different moment from my goal.

"He said, 'You scored one. There you go you just want to score again and not pass to me.' This is from a man who shot 20 times a game. That’s it! That was Jimmy, that’s what football is about, it is different personalities."

Armando Franca/Associated Press

It will be the second meeting of the season between Chelsea and Liverpool following August's UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul. Lampard's young Blues side put up a valiant effort but lost to the European champions in a penalty shootout.

Lampard's start at Chelsea has been an inconsistent one. The Blues have picked up eight points in the Premier League, scoring and conceding 11 goals. Young talents Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have shown promise, but the squad has also faced its fair share of struggles.

They are coming off a 1-0 loss at home to a Valencia team that underwent a coaching change earlier in September. Liverpool have a perfect domestic record, but they also lost in Europe in midweek, dropping their Champions League opener against Napoli.