Mohamed Salah latest: Has Liverpool star reached Lionel Messi's level, surpassed Thierry Henry as Premier League's best ever?

The Egyptian winger provided an assist for Alexis Mac Allister against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Wednesday night, helping the Merseysiders win 2-0 and move 13 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal.

Salah has scored 25 goals and registered 17 assists in the top flight this term, and his performances have made him one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or.

Speaking to Sports Mole, while Lynch does not believe that the attacker will ever reach the heights of Barcelona legend Messi, he does not think it hyperbolic to suggest he is currently at a similar level, saying: "It's just absolutely stunning stuff, and I don't think he'll ever touch Messi - for me the greatest player of all time - but he's in that stratosphere this season.

"That now is 11 that he's scored and assisted in in a single season, the most that any player has managed since one of Lionel Messi's seasons at Barcelona. That is the company he's keeping and that for me places that in its proper context, and it shows you just how good he is at the moment.

"All he's done at Liverpool, he's right up there among the Premier League greats and putting himself in the conversation as the greatest Premier League player of all time. That's one to discuss in a couple of years when he's hopefully got another couple of years and more goals and assists under his belt at Liverpool.

Salah currently totals 42 goals and assists in the league and is projected to tally 57 goals and assists by the end of the campaign, a figure that Messi has only bettered in 2011-12 (66) and 2014-15 (61).

Is Salah better than Henry?

Thierry Henry is regarded by many as the Premier League's best ever player for his exploits with Arsenal, but Salah has scored 182 goals in the top flight, a total that is seven more than Henry managed and makes him the division's sixth highest scorer ever.

The Arsenal legend won two Premier League titles during his time in London, but it would be remarkable if Liverpool failed to win the title this season, and a league triumph would mean Salah will have also won two titles with the Reds.

Given Salah has demonstrated an ability to routinely break records, Lynch would not be surprised if the winger cemented his legacy as one of the league's finest ever players by surpassing milestones previously thought untouchable.

Lynch told Sports Mole: "All the records we've been talking about over the past as the season has progressed have got more and more ridiculous. I heard a statistic - one of the comparisons that always pops up is that Eden Hazard assisted and scored in 10 Premier League matches in his time at Chelsea, and Salah has done that in 11 matches this season. That comparison we can put firmly in the bin.

"What [Salah] has got in front of him this season is the chance to put together the greatest Premier League season by an individual player we've ever seen. 10 games to get four more assists and break the record, and he could even go for the goal record as well.

"That is a really exciting challenge and he's somebody who does keep an eye on the numbers so I'm sure he'll be fully aware of that and [will be] trying to break it."

Salah only needs to register four more assists in 10 games to break Henry's record of 20 assists in a single Premier League season, though he will need to score 12 more goals to break Erling Haaland's 36-goal record.

Why Van Dijk is also the best defender ever

Salah's immense individual season has perhaps overshadowed defender Virgil van Dijk, who has performed excellently for the Reds this term, and there is a strong argument that he has been the best defender in England.

Lynch expressed his view that while Salah should be favourite to win the Ballon d'Or, Van Dijk should be considered a strong candidate, telling Sports Mole: "I hope they don't split each other's vote! That's my only slight worry because they're both playing at a ridiculous level. Salah has to get it - Liverpool are going to win the Premier League [and he has been the] outstanding attacking player.

"Even Virgil, as good as he is, would acknowledge that putting the ball in the back of the net and setting up goals is the toughest thing to do in football but Virgil van Dijk should be tucked in there close behind him. It's absolutely outrageous the level he's playing at and the discussion about who's the greatest Premier League centre-half of all time, that's already been decided.

"We've never seen anyone who's as complete, as quick, as strong, as good at reading the game, as good at passing the ball off both feet. He doesn't lose individual battles and his reading of the game is unbelievable, and then you throw into that the captaincy quality he's got, his ability to lead the line and his general intelligence around the game. There's no one who has touched him in terms of his level."

With both Van Dijk and Salah out of contract at the end of the season, Liverpool fans will want the pair to stay in order to further cement their legacies as arguably two of the division's best ever players.

Written by

Lewis Nolan