Jan Molby has no doubt Mohamed Salah will go down as one of the most celebrated forwards in Liverpool history - but believes a lack of league titles may hand legendary figures Ian Rush and Sir Kenny Dalglish the edge in the all-time Anfield debate.
Salah inspired Liverpool to a resounding 7-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday as he fired a brace against Erik ten Hag's side, and the Egyptian's pair of second half strikes saw him move ahead of Robbie Fowler to become the Reds' highest-ever goalscorer in Premier League history with 129 goals.
The 30-year-old's double, which took his tally against the Red Devils to 10 goals in 11 games since joining in 2017, allowed him to also bridge the gap on Fowler to five in the club's all-time charts, while a place in the top-five appears achievable by the end of the current campaign with former captain Steven Gerrard just seven goals ahead and sitting two places above the Egyptian, who currently lies in seventh.
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This summer will mark six years since the one-time Chelsea reject was identified by influential recruitment figures Michael Edwards, Dave Fallows and Barry Hunter as the ideal supplement for a Liverpool front line that had become too reliant on Sadio Mane in the final months of the 2016/17 season.
Since returning to England for a second bite at the cherry, the Egyptian has fired Liverpool to domestic and continental kingship as he played an integral role in the Reds adding a sixth European Cup and a 19th league title to the Anfield showroom. Salah has also won the FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup, Community Shield and Club World Cup during his remarkable career on Merseyside.
But despite firing Liverpool to 90+ points in three different Premier League seasons, Salah only has one league title to show for his remarkable exploits. On the other hand, Rush and Dalglish mopped up a staggering 11 First Division titles between them during their playing days at Anfield.
And the Dane, who signed for Liverpool under Joe Fagan in the summer of 1984 and made over 250 appearances for the club, insists Salah is right up there with his former team-mates Dalglish and Rush, who are largely considered the most illustrious forwards Anfield has ever glanced its eyes upon.
Speaking exclusively to the ECHO, Molby said: "I mean obviously there's one thing that you see with your own eyes when he plays and what a good player he is and then the stats back everything up because it's season after season after season. He's available for every training session, he's available for every single match. He delivers every single season. What more can you say?
"I think in terms of his influence and impact on Liverpool he's right up there with any of them but the biggest problem he is going to have over time is his lack of trophies when you compare to some of the others. But there's no doubt in terms of his impact that he ranks amongst the best."
Despite turning 30 last June, Salah's ongoing importance to Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp was underlined when he was awarded the most lucrative contract in the club's history, which will see him tied to the Reds until the summer of 2025. And although the Egyptian has struggled to reach his zenith at times this season, as he and the rest of his team-mates have felt the impacts of a zapping 63-game campaign last time out, the forward has begun to assemble a fine relationship with new recruits Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo in recent weeks.
While the trio, who all claimed braces against the Old Trafford club on Sunday, will be crucial if Liverpool are to produce the most extraordinary European comeback of their 131-year history and overturn their three-goal deficit against Real Madrid next week, Molby believes the performances of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, ahead of Alisson Becker, will determine if the Reds are to progress to the last-eight of the Champions League for the fifth time since 2017.
"Prior to the Manchester United result, you wouldn't have thought it was even possible. You wouldn't have even given it a second thought," said Molby. "Now you think there's maybe a chance. Real Madrid haven't done too well results-wise since they won at Anfield and Liverpool are slowly getting better.
"I think the big thing if we are going to turn the three-goal deficit around is that we are now keeping clean sheets because that's going to be absolutely vital."
The former Reds midfielder was speaking at an event with MurWalls, where he became the latest Anfield icon to be celebrated with a Mural on Sybil Road as he joined the likes of Jordan Henderson, Ian St John, Roger Hunt and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Speaking of his amazement at the incredible MurWalls piece, which stands just a stone's throw away from Anfield and was created in less than 12 hours by the British street artists earlier this week, Molby said: "My wife told me a few months ago, and you hear a lot of things you know and there's always a long way to go before we get anywhere, but the next thing it's in the diary for the 8th of March, meeting Troy Hawke and unveiling the mural.
"I have been walking around the area of Anfield for a number of years and seeing them all popping up on the walls, paying tribute to some of the best players in the history of the football club. I'll be honest, I never thought there would be any reason for my face to be there."
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