Mohamed Salah has named his dream five-a-side team and has, perhaps controversially, left out Liverpool strike partner Sadio Mane.
In an interview with Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport, filmed prior to the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in May, Salah was asked to pick his fantasy five-a-side made up of current out-field players.
‘I go for Trent [Alexander-Arnold],’ the winger said.
‘I love Trent, so I got him, Bobby [Roberto Firmino], myself. Sorry Virg [Virgil van Dijk] I don’t defend!
‘Then I’ll take [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo.’
Curiously, Salah left out Mane who looks to be heading out the exit door at Anfield after he reportedly agreed terms with Bayern Munich.
The 30-year-old had informed Jurgen Klopp of his desire to leave Liverpool at the end of last season, but the Reds were reluctant to sell one of their star players, even though he only had a year left on his contract.
But after the record signing of Darwin Nunez on Tuesday, it appears the club are happy to sanction Mane’s sale for £30million plus add-ons.
It is interesting to see that Salah would pick fellow Liverpool forward Firmino over Mane, especially since the Egyptian and the Senegalese have always been rumoured to have a fractious relationship.
While Klopp has always denied this, during games Mane has often been seen showing his frustration when Salah hasn’t passed to him or when he was subbed off before his teammates.
The two also came up against each other twice in important games at international level this year, with Mane triumphing in both the Africa Cup of Nations final and the World Cup qualifiers, much to Salah’s disappointment.
Ferdinand also asked Salah who he thought was the best player in the world, but the player, who turned 30 on Wednesday, couldn’t decide, saying: ‘If I don’t pick myself, I’d pick Benzema and Bobby.’
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