SOCCER: Klopp says Salah could play on until he is 40

Mohamed Salah could play on until he is 40 and the Egyptian's departure from Liverpool opens up new opportunities for an 'irreplaceable' player, his former manager Juergen Klopp said on Friday.

The 33-year-old Salah, one of the club's greatest ever players, announced this week that he will leave Anfield at the end of the season.

Signed by Klopp from AS Roma in 2017, Salah helped Liverpool to win two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, two League Cups, and a Community Shield.

"He set completely new standards for a professional football player -- how hard you can work, how much you can invest in recovery and everything," the German manager told the BBC ahead of a Legends charity game in Liverpool on Saturday.

"Now he leaves here but I would not be surprised if he plays another six or seven years.

"I'm sad but he's an all-time great without a shadow of a doubt and I'm really proud to be a part of that career."

Klopp, who left Liverpool in 2024, said Salah and the club had been a perfect match.

"Mo and I had big dreams but we didn't dare to dream that big," he said.

"I really think the whole relationship was a fair deal. An exceptional player, exceptional numbers and he earned some money, of course," Klopp added.

"And now he can go wherever he wants and the club will have to find and will find other players, and that's absolutely okay."

-Alan Baldwin/Reuters