Mohamed Salah could throw away Player of the Year award! Virgil van Dijk and one other surprise team-mate in line to pip Egyptian to end-of-season honours, claims Liverpool legend John Barnes

Salah is enjoying one of the finest individual campaigns ever recorded in Premier League history, with his return of 44 direct goal involvements tying the record held jointly by Erling Haaland (2022-23) and Thierry Henry (2002-03). He is also on course to win his second English title with Liverpool, as the Merseysiders boast a 12-point lead at the top of the table with only nine games remaining.

However, Salah, whose contract expires this summer, has not been the only player to show his worth to the Reds. Club captain Virgil van Dijk, also on an expiring deal, has enjoyed one of his finest seasons to date as well.

Speaking to PokerScout, Liverpool legend Barnes claimed Salah is not a shoo-in to win any of the Player of the Year awards, with Van Dijk and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai giving him a run for his money.

When asked who the contenders were, Barnes replied: "It really depends on what happens between now and the end of the season. I know players who have won the player of the season, because they've done well between March and May. They may not have done well before, but of course, that's what we remember; that’s the freshest information.

"When the end of the season comes, we think about who's done well and who's doing well? Rather than thinking, well they did really well up until January, but then of course between March and May they didn't, so it really depends on what happens between now and the end of the season.

"From Liverpool you have to look at the last two or three matches and Salah hasn't done much and if he continues to do that maybe he won't win it. It’s hard to look beyond Liverpool players when thinking about the contenders because they’ve been the best team in the league and the most consistent team.

"Mo hasn't impressed me more than others. Szoboszlai has impressed me. Virgil has been really good. It has been a really good team performance. From the end of the season, it really depends on who has done well. The whole Liverpool team has been fantastic. I'd give Virgil more of a chance to be named player of the season because of what he's actually done. Up until this point, he's been our most consistent performer."

Only a few weeks ago, Salah was in the midst of building a pretty solid case to win this year's Ballon d'Or. However, Liverpool's surprise exit in the last-16 of the Champions League and Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle United have seriously dented his chances of taking home the Golden Ball.