J\u00fcrgen Klopp has described Mohamed Salah\u2019s Liverpool career as \u201ca beautiful movie with a happy end\u201d and claimed the forward\u2019s phenomenal output will be impossible to replace.<\/p>\n
Klopp was in charge when Liverpool signed Salah for an initial \u00a334m from Roma in June 2017<\/a> and, despite the occasional row, remains close to the 33-year-old. The pair exchanged messages on Tuesday after Salah announced he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season<\/a>, 12 months before his contract is due to expire.<\/p>\n The Egypt international is third on Liverpool\u2019s all-time scorers\u2019 list with 255 goals to date and Klopp, back on Merseyside for a series of charity events in support of LFC Foundation, insists there is no like-for-like replacement for Salah in the game.<\/p>\n \u201cThis specific kind of player is irreplaceable,\u201d said the 58-year-old, now head of global football at Red Bull. \u201cI\u2019m not sure there is even another one existing out there. There are other people playing on that wing with different strengths and qualities but it is the numbers Mo produces \u2013 they are unmatched from that position. The numbers for a winger are ridiculous. For a striker they are pretty much unmatched. So, if it is impossible, why should you try?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not in the role to advise \u00adanyone, but just bring players in and play the kind of football which can be successful. We lost Sadio Man\u00e9. What a player he was. Bobby [Roberto] Firmino, oh my God. On the day Gini [Georginio Wijnaldum] went, probably none of you thought: \u2018That\u2019s a big miss,\u2019 until he was not there any more and then you thought: \u201cOh! He was the combination of technique, power and tactical discipline.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThen Hendo [Jordan Henderson] left, Milly [James Milner] went, but other players came in. That\u2019s how it is. Don\u2019t try to chase the shadows. Find a new way and play.\u201d<\/p>\n Klopp is an honorary ambassador for LFC Foundation, the club\u2019s official charity that aims to tackle social inequality, and will be part of the management team for a Liverpool legends versus Borussia Dortmund legends \u00adfundraiser at Anfield on Saturday.<\/p>\n The German admits Salah was not the easiest player to handle but said: \u201cI can sum it up: I am really happy and proud that I was part of the whole journey.<\/p>\n J\u00fcrgen Klopp brought Mohamed Salah to Liverpool in June 2017 and oversaw his development into one of the greatest forwards of the modern era. Photograph: Paolo Magni\/EPA<\/p>\n