Mohamed Salah goes into the Merseyside derby as the top scorer in the Premier League but his success at Liverpool was not seen as a foregone conclusion in the summer. Some pointed to his inability to make an impression during an earlier spell at Chelsea as a concern.
His subsequent performances have forced a reassessment of that opinion and reinforced why Liverpool were prepared to pay Roma a fee that could rise to £44m less than a year after he had been sold by Chelsea to the Italian club for a fraction of the price.
One aspect of a player's profile that managers typically take comfort from is the level at which they have played previously. Heads of recruitment at clubs are often asked: "What is the highest level that he has played at? How does that compare to the Premier League?"
While it is not always an indicator of future success, it can assist significantly when trying to minimise risk. On the other hand, how many times has a player dropped down a level or returned to a level at which they had played previously only to fail to live up to their billing?
It is because of this that anticipating the motivation of a potential signing is of paramount importance. This is the context in which Liverpool's scouting team deserves much credit for their bravery in recommending Mohamed Salah this past summer.
To recommend a player who had been deemed a failure at a club with similar ambitions playing within the same competition will undoubtedly have raised question marks. Could he really return as a key player just one year on after leaving Chelsea permanently?
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