‘He looks like a new player’ – David James can’t believe what he’s seen from Liverpool dynamo | OneFootball

David James may have raised a few eyebrows with his pick for Liverpool’s ‘most improved player’ in the early weeks of Arne Slot’s reign.

Many supporters would probably confer that title on Ryan Gravenberch, who’s looked revitalised in a defensive midfield role, or possibly Luis Diaz after his prolific start to the season, but our former goalkeeper has instead gone for someone who’s been with the Reds for a lot longer.

Speaking on LFC TV, the 54-year-old said: “Possibly the most improved player after three games, and I’m going to sound like I’m a nutter here, Mo Salah.

“He looks like a new player. His control is exceptional; his on-the-ball movement is exceptional. Of course he’s scoring goals, but all of this seems to be as a result of what Arne has got them doing in training.”

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Salah’s return of three goals in as many games to start the season isn’t out of the ordinary based on the consistently high numbers he’s posted throughout the past seven years at Liverpool.

However, he’s also supplemented that with three assists, and the quality of his finishing underlines his status as one of the most accomplished forwards in world football.

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It might seem surprising for James to declare that the 32-year-old has improved vastly, considering what he’s done at Anfield since 2017, but there’s definitely been a rejuvenation from the latter weeks of the 2023/24 campaign, when the Egyptian was uncharacteristically subdued.

It does appear that, without intending to sound disrespectful towards the one and only Jurgen Klopp, Slot has instigated a fresh kick from Salah since Liverpool reconvened for pre-season a couple of months ago, and that a long-overdue extended summer refresh has had the desired effect on our number 11.

Let’s hope he can maintain his blistering recent form over the course of the entire campaign – his time with the Reds suggests that he’s among the best at doing just that!

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