‘What I think of world-class’: Troy Deeney says Liverpool had a forward who was much better than Mo Salah

Liverpool boast one of the best and most in-form forwards in world football in Mohamed Salah.

The Reds talisman has registered a staggering 32 goals and 22 assists from 43 club outings this season.

Salah’s efforts have helped Liverpool establish a near-insurmountable lead at the top of the Premier League table.

However, pundit Troy Deeney has once again insisted that Salah is not “world-class”, naming a different Anfield icon he thinks is in that category.

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Troy Deeney says Luis Suarez was ‘world-class’ for Liverpool

Deeney has spoken of how Salah failed to make an impact in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United, which the Magpies won.

As a result, Deeney has now doubled down on his view that Salah does not have “world-class” status.

The pundit said Liverpool icon Luis Suarez is in that bracket, alongside the likes of Ronaldinho and Eden Hazard.

“When you look at the stats, he hasn’t scored or had an assist, when you look at it like that it’s quite difficult to argue against,” Deeney told talkSPORT. “You would say he’s not turned up in those games.

“This weekend, I just didn’t see a moment in that game where he looked like scoring. He played against them really well in Newcastle [in the Premier League].

“When Liverpool are at their best, it goes all through Salah. It shows how much they will miss Trent (Alexander-Arnold). They do have (Jarell) Quansah and (Conor) Bradley, but they are not the same quality.

“When coaches are looking at it the day before they will be saying if we double up on Salah we give Trent that dead ball space and he will kill us. They become predictable.

“I’m a big fan of Salah, I just don’t think he’s world-class. His numbers and stats are excellent.

“What I think of world-class is that feeling you get when you watch someone, like Ronaldinho. Eden Hazard and Luis Suarez when they had those seasons in the Premier League too.”

How Mohamed Salah and Luis Suarez compare at Liverpool

Deeney’s comments will no doubt prove controversial among Liverpool fans.

Salah has been an incredible player for the Reds and boasts a record of trophies, goals and assists which many would argue fits the ‘world-class’ bracket.

The Egypt international has won pretty much all there is to win for Liverpool, including the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.

That said, Suarez was a star for Liverpool when they were nowhere near as good as they are now, registering some impressive stats for the Reds.

The Uruguay international won the League Cup in his first full season and went on to register 82 goals and 31 assists from 133 appearances for the Reds.

During his time at Liverpool, Suarez won the 2013/14 European Golden Boot, scoring 31 goals as the Reds finished second in the Premier League, two points behind Manchester City.

Suarez, who Charlie Adam recently praised for his intensity at Liverpool, also won the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2014.