Liverpool could change Mohamed Salah role as 'new'…

Liverpool could change Mohamed Salah role as 'new' winger emerges for Jurgen Klopp

It was a rare abiding memory of joy during a difficult opening few months of the campaign for Liverpool.

As Harvey Elliott waited on a VAR check to see whether his initially-disallowed strike would be allowed to cap a 7-1 Champions League romp at Rangers back in October, Mohamed Salah took a piggyback ride on his younger team-mate as it became clear the goal was about to be given.

The duo have struck up a close bond since Elliott arrived at the club back in July 2019, Salah offering sage advice to the teenager and, in the event of Elliott's sickening injury at Leeds United last season, first on the scene to urge immediate treatment for the stricken player.

And it appears their immediate Liverpool futures could now be intertwined after events in the FA Cup third round replay win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday evening.

With Salah on the bench, Elliott instead filled the right wing attacking role having spent much of the campaign operating in the midfield three. The youngster responded with arguably his finest performance in a Liverpool shirt and certainly his best goal, netting his fourth of the campaign when taking the ball forward a good 40 yards before lashing a left-footed shot from 25 yards that surprised Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.

"When he plays well, I like him everywhere, so that’s easy," said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp when afterwards asked in which position he prefers Elliott to play. "Harvey, from that position you need to score goals, that’s clear.

"What Harvey had to do, that's very important. Both wingers had to do that, plus the nine had to do that. We had to defend properly and to defend compact, and whoever is ready to do that is more than welcome to start wherever we will be."

Elliott is the only player to have featured in all 29 of Liverpool's games this season, with 18 coming as a starter. As such, he has perhaps been affected more than most by the travails of Klopp's side, particularly when in midfield where his efforts to adjust to regular top-level football have been stymied by misfiring engine room regulars. As he approaches 100 senior club career appearances, it's easy to forget Elliott remains a teenager until April.

But his performance at Molineux - his first start since being hooked at half-time during the defeat at Brentford - was a reminder of his capabilities out wide, and that could impact Salah who has made only one fewer appearance for Liverpool this season than the youngster.

While having scored 17 goals in those 28 games, there's no doubt the Egyptian is going through one of his brief fallow periods, his strike in the initial tie against Wolves the only one in his last five games.

Salah played alongside new signing Cody Gakpo down the middle in last Saturday's dreadful defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion, and featured from the bench for the last quarter on Tuesday as the main central striker.

The chopping and changing of the front line hasn't helped Salah produce his consistent best - opponents have found it far easier to double-mark the 30-year-old - and, whenever he has previously struggled to find the mark, Klopp has often positioned him nearer the goal in an attempt to increase his potency.

The 17-year-old winger Ben Doak has done well in his brief cameos from the bench but is some way from being a regular challenger for a first-team starting role. Elliott, then, could become an option on the right once more, giving Klopp the flexibility of moving Salah to a more central role, whether alongside Darwin Nunez and Gakpo or with one of the duo instead positioned on the left.

With Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino still unavailable, Liverpool need greater variety in attack. Elliott has just provided a timely reminder of his versatility - and it may well be one of his greatest advocates could benefit as a consequence.

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