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Liverpool icon Ian Rush is set to present the club’s current poster boy Mohamed Salah with his 'Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year' award. As per The Daily Mail, the award ceremony will take place in central London on Thursday evening (5 April).
The star forward was adjudged as the winner last Friday (29 April). The Egyptian international received a whopping 48 percent of the total votes, winning the award by a landslide. Manchester City’s midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne booked second place, while West Ham United’s holding midfielder Declan Rice sealed third spot.
Salah has bagged 22 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League this season, topping both charts. He will now receive the award on Thursday and by a very special presenter. The forward’s idol and Liverpool’s all-time leading goalscorer (346 goals) Ian Rush will be present to hand him the award. Rush has even advised the 29-year-old to extend his contract with the Reds and try to break more of the club’s goalscoring records.
The former Roma star is only the ninth player in history to win the 'Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year' award more than once. Tim Finney, John Barnes, Danny Blanchflower, Stanley Matthews, Kenny Dalglish, Gary Lineker, and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only other players to have won it multiple times.
Liverpool secure a narrow win at Newcastle United despite resting Mohamed Salah
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp rested some of his key players for the clash against Newcastle United on Saturday (April 30), including Mohamed Salah.
Despite not fielding his best XI, the Reds held firm and bagged a solid 1-0 win at St. James Park. Midfielder Naby Keita scored the only goal of the match in the 19th minute to seal the win for the title aspirants.
They retained their footballing identity, defended well, and created enough chances to win by a bigger margin. Unfortunately, their finishing was not up to the mark on Saturday, which kept the Magpies alive in the contest until the final whistle.
Salah was introduced in place of Sadio Mane with just over 20 minutes left to play. He attempted a couple of shots, played a key pass, and took 15 touches in his 21-minute cameo.
Well-rested, the Egyptian is set to start in the Reds’ Champions League semi-final second-leg clash against Villarreal on Tuesday night (3 April). Klopp and Co. won the first leg 2-0 at Anfield last Wednesday (27 April).
