Liverpool hero John Aldridge has taken fresh aim at Mohamed Salah.

Writing for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge declared: "In the last 12 months he's just not kicked into gear. We need him because he's world class. Whatever he's going through, he needs to snap out of it for the sake of the team and the fans and get back to what he's good at, which is scoring goals, creating goals and being a nightmare to play against. But so far this season and in the latter stages of last season, he's not done it.

"Players go through these moments but it's been a long time to Mo. People can't claim it has anything do with uncertainty over his contract now. He signed it and he's happy. He looked lively in the Community Shield and I thought 'here we go'. He's been marked by different types of young players and they've been able to mark him too easily for me.

"He could be going through a lack of confidence, which happens, but it's a long time. He's a player that we need, like Virgil van Dijk. Right through the core of the team we need these big players. We can't keep blaming this form on injuries, even though they haven't helped, it's an easy cop out."