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What's the story?
Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has spoken about Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah's first days in the Premier League, stating that the "lonely" and "naive" Egyptian initially had a difficult time to adapt to English football.
In case you didn't know...
Following his phenomenal showing in a Champions League clash between Basel and Chelsea, Salah was almost immediately signed by the London outfit in an £11 million transfer in January 2014.
The Egyptian was, however, far from the goal-scoring machine he is now, having made only 13 Premier League appearances for the side before he was loaned out to Serie A sides Fiorentina and Roma.
The loan deal was eventually made permanent by Roma, for whom the forward scored 15 league goals in his final season.
Today, Salah is being seen as a hero in Liverpool and in Egypt following his outstanding debut season in which he won the Premier League Golden Boot after scoring 32 goals for the Merseyside club.
The Egyptian now plays a crucial role in Jurgen Klopp's title-chasing team and could even lead the Reds to a second consecutive Champions League final.
The heart of the matter
Mourinho, who coached Salah during his stint at Chelsea, has now weighed in on how an average Egyptian kid transformed into a phenomenal goal-scorer and Ballon d'Or nominee.
He said: "He arrived at Chelsea coming from Basel. He was a lonely boy, a naive boy and physically fragile.
"Then he goes to Italy and has the experience at Fiorentina and Roma.
"When he comes back to England he has completely adapted to the high level of European football with more understanding of the game and physically much stronger, much more confident.
"When the player is obviously talented, years can change the player for the better."
What's next?
Following a disappointing Premier League draw against Everton on Sunday, Liverpool will hope to make up for the lost points when they face Burnley on Sunday, March 10.
