Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah admits leaving Chelsea was the making of his career.

Salah believes escaping an unhappy spell at Chelsea for first Fiorentina and then Roma in Italy helped set him on the road to ultimately huge success at Liverpool.

"It has helped me a lot," he said of his time in Italy. "When I was at Chelsea I had to change the football and culture.

"I needed to change my football so I went to Italy, I played good and it's helped me to be where I am at the moment.

"I had a great time there and they (Fiorentina and Roma fans) were unbelievable. They showed me love.

"I have good memories there, which is great. They helped me to improve myself as a person and a player, so I have to say thank you very much and hopefully see each other soon - play against each other maybe!"