Mohamed Salah Liverpool 2021-22Getty

Salah for Player of the Season: Rio Ferdinand explains why he's backing Liverpool star

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has showered Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah with praise and insisted he deserves to be crowned the Premier League's Player of the Season.

The Pharaohs' captain has been a key factor for the Reds in all competitions this term, particularly in the Premier League, where he has scored 22 goals and provided 13 assists to ensure the team continue to push for the title.

They are currently a point behind leaders Manchester City, who are on 83 points, while Salah has also scored eight goals in 11 Uefa Champions League matches, helping Liverpool reach the semis in the UCL as well as an FA Cup final.

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The Merseyside charges have won the League Cup already and Salah played his role in ensuring the team secures their first silverware this season...it's enough to convince Rio that he deserves the Player of the Season prize.

"There is only one man for me, I have to be honest, he has been decisive," Ferdinand said on his official YouTube channel. "He has the most goals and the most assists in the league, you can’t go against that.

"It is Mo Salah. He has been ridiculous. You can see fear in defenders when he is on the pitch, he does every part of the game really well. His finishing, he does all types of finishes.

"You just look at the goals and assists, that is enough to say he is the most decisive player in this league."

Salah is in the Liverpool team that has travelled to Spain to play Villarreal in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, hoping to complete the job and make it to the final. The Reds won the first leg at Anfield 2-0.

"It's half-time. In the best possible way, you ignore the result from the first game," Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp stated ahead of the game. "If that would be a cup game, only one game and it would be decided and we have to go to Villarreal, we would try to win there – and that's what we want to try there.

Knowing that they will go with all they have, it's absolutely clear."

Salah was introduced from the bench at the weekend as Liverpool defeated Newcastle United 1-0 away.

"It will be a tough one, but it's fine, really completely fine, because a Champions League semi-final should be tough and that's absolutely OK," Klopp continued.

"We never expected it to be easy, this will not be easy, but we played a good game at home and we better play a good game there as well."

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