Mohamed Salah is sending records tumbling at Liverpool and says, without being arrogant, that he always “expected” to be a success.
The Egypt international returned to English football in the summer of 2017 with something of a point to prove having previously flopped at Chelsea.
A £36.9 million transfer fee – which was then a club record – showed how much faith Jurgen Klopp had in the 25-year-old’s ability to master the Premier League and silence any critics.
Salah has certainly delivered for the Reds, with a 28-goal haul across all competitions seeing him set new benchmarks at Anfield and earn widespread praise.
It is easy to suggest that he has exceeded all expectations, even after impressing in Italy with Fiorentina and Roma, but the talented forward does not see things that way, telling FourFourTwo: “I don't want to seem arrogant. But yeah, I expected it [scoring a lot of goals].
“When I was in Rome, I was comfortable there. I had two good seasons there. I was happy.
“I always try to take another chance. I always put myself under pressure.
“I didn't play for Chelsea when I was here three years ago. I came back here to show my football. I think I'm doing well.”
Salah’s exploits for Liverpool have seen him mooted as a potential Ballon d’Or winner of the future, with there a feeling that more potential can still be unlocked.
Whether that happens at Anfield or elsewhere remains to be seen, with Real Madrid among those to already be casting admiring glances in the direction of a possible ‘Galactico’ addition.
For now, though, Salah is happy on Merseyside and has curbed the transfer talk somewhat by reiterating his happiness at having secured a move to the club he supported as a boy.
He added: “I have loved the club since I was young and knew this was a team I wanted to play for.
“I knew the history this club has and, as soon as I got the chance, I had to make it happen.”
That will be music to the ears of Klopp and Liverpool supporters everywhere, with the Reds hoping to be the ones to benefit from the mercurial ability of a humble frontman for many years to come.