Fulham defender Calvin Bassey has now discussed his experiences of coming up against Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.
Calvin Bassey and Fulham are yet to face Liverpool this season, the Cottagers won’t have the pleasure until Arne Slot’s side arrive at Craven Cottage in January.
But since his move from Ajax to Fulham in 2023, Bassey will know all about coming up against Mohamed Salah.
Click to subscribe to the podcast 
Interestingly, Salah’s record against Fulham isn’t his strongest, he’s scored four goals in 10 games against Marco Silva’s side.
But when it comes to facing Tottenham, the Manchester clubs or Arsenal, Salah scores a goal at least once every other game.
Calvin Bassey explains why Mohamed Salah is the best player he’s ever faced
Regardless of that fact, when speaking to Sky Sports in a ‘Best Friend Test’ with Alex Iwobi, Bassey insisted that Salah was the toughest opponent he’d faced in the Premier League.
Iwobi was asked to guess who Bassey would choose, and he did so correctly in naming Salah.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
READ MORE: Alexander Isak says player Liverpool sold for £40m is even better than Roberto Firmino
Explaining his choice, Bassey said: “Mohamed Salah is unbelievable. He’s such a baller. When you get dragged out to defend him, you’re in trouble.
“Obviously, when we play Liverpool, we usually go half man-for-man, so I’ll often face him directly. I’ve played against him twice, and he’s always a handful.”
Adding to those comments, Bassey then went on to praise what Salah had done for football as a whole.
He continued: “Salah is a three-time PFA Player of the Year, and what I will say is that he’s done some unbelievable things in the game.
“He’s also helped promote African football. I’m not saying Yaya Toure didn’t, but I feel like in this generation Salah has had a bigger global impact.”
Federico Chiesa is more ready than ever to deputise for Mohamed Salah
Despite scoring three goals and providing three assists in seven appearances so far this season, there is some feeling that Salah has somewhat underwhelmed.
Of course, Salah is quickly judged against his own lofty standards, but at 33 years old, he should be afforded some grace.
That being said, if Salah does need to be rotated more often this season, then Federico Chiesa seems more than ready.
The Italian was excellent against Southampton in the EFL Cup in midweek, and in truth, Chiesa deserves to start for Liverpool against Crystal Palace this weekend.
It would be foolish to suggest dropping Salah for the match – he’s still one of the best wingers in world football, as Bassey would probably protest.
But perhaps Chiesa could play out on the left in order to ensure that he’s not only getting chances when Salah is not on the pitch.