Micah Richards has urged Liverpool to resolve Mohamed Salah’s contract negotiations as he predicts a memorable 2022 for the forward.
Salah 's current deal expires in the summer of 2023 but that hasn’t proved to be a distraction on the pitch for the Egypt international.
Arguably the best player in the world, he has scored 22 goals and provided nine assists in 25 games across all competitions so far this season.
However, Richards is predicting even bigger things for Salah in the New Year and has encouraged the Reds to finally get their talisman to sign on the dotted line.
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“I want Liverpool to finalise a new contract for him and I want him to stay in the Premier League for many more years,” the ex-Manchester City defender wrote for The Daily Mail .
“He is getting to the level now where we are talking about him being in the Premier League’s Hall of Fame, someone who could be in the all-time team.”
Richards continued: “What a player he has become. He is so dangerous that in some matches you don’t see him for 80 minutes but then he will pop up with a goal or an assist. It’s not luck that happens.
“He’s at Cristiano Ronaldo levels now, the one-time winger who has redefined himself to become an ultimate scorer.
“If 2021 was spectacular for Salah, 2022 can be even more so. He looks a certainty at this stage to win the PFA Player of the Year but if Liverpool were to win the Champions League, he will also have an outstanding chance of lifting the Ballon d’Or.”
Having been described as an 'all-time' great player in the Premier League era by Richards, Salah will aim to end his phenomenal season - even by his own personal high standards - with as much as silverware as possible.
Despite having taken a recent step back in the title race, Liverpool have shown imperious form in the Champions League, becoming the first English team to win all of their group games, with the Reds’ No.11 scoring seven goals in six matches.
In terms of individual awards, Salah finished seventh in the Ballon d’OR rankings in November but looks to be an early front-runner for the 2022 award based on current form.
