Troy Deeney doubles down on ‘world class’ Mohamed Salah claim and names Liverpool star’s one weakness

Yesterday at 12:27 PM

If you wondered if Troy Deeney has made a U-turn on his claim Mohamed Salah isn’t world class, think again…

The former Watford and Birmingham striker left plenty of fans stunned after stating the Liverpool talisman is ‘excellent’, but isn’t world class and that he’d rather tell his kids to play more like Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr.

Deeney joined talkSPORT Drive on Wednesday, and unsurprisingly, he was asked whether he’s been made to reconsider his previous take.

Discussing Liverpool‘s 1-0 win over Girona in the Champions League on Tuesday – which saw Salah net the winner from the spot – host Andy Goldstein asked if Deeney isn’t a massive fan of the winger.

“I am a fan!” Deeney replied. “I am a fan, yeah. I’m just not a big fan of everyone saying that every single player is world class.

“I was watching the Bayern Munich game yesterday and [apparently Michael] Olise is ‘world class’ now.

“It’s like instantly [that happens] as soon as someone does something good.

“That’s what the commentators said. As soon as someone does something well, they say, ‘he’s world class’.”

He continued: “If it was the best winger in world football right now, I would still take Vinicius Jr.

“That’s just my personal opinion. But you know how this game is, everyone’s got an opinion.

“If you say ‘I don’t think he’s world class’, everyone’s like ‘oh my God, he was better than you!’

“I get that!”

Asked if he would include Salah in an XI with him playing on the other side of Vincius Jr, Deeney conceded the Egyptian would make it.

“Yeah,” he said. “He’d be in there. He’d be in the top four wingers at this moment in time.”

Deeney soon revealed more of his reasoning behind why Salah isn’t ‘world class’ in his view.

And the ex-Forest Green manager insisted only one player can be world class in each position at one time.

Quizzed on whether he was reluctant to put the former Chelsea star in that category, he said: “I only think it revolves around five players.

“A goalkeeper, a defender, a midfielder, a winger and striker.

“I think it can revolve very quickly.”

He added: “I was watching Man United vs Real Madrid from 2003 at Old Trafford where Man United won 4-3 and Ronaldo has got a hat-trick.

“When you look at that team, the players and the people on the bench, they would have been unbelievable players at certain times, who wouldn’t have been considered world class – but no one argued with it.

“But now with social media, with stats, it’s like ‘he’s world class’, ‘he’s world class’ and ‘he’s world class’.

“Okay, then what’s the level? You’re either world class or rubbish?”

Deeney believes the ‘world class’ judgement is highly subjective too.

“There will be 1,000 people saying Salah is great and the best player ever,” he said.

“But again, if you ask generationally, if you ask people who watched Liverpool in the 1980s, a lot of people would say John Barnes is the best winger Liverpool have ever had.

“It depends on your feeling and where you were at that time as well.”

And in Deeney’s mind, Salah has one key weakness that – in his mind – helps bolster his argument he isn’t world class.

“I think he misses a lot of big chances,” he said. “It sounds really mental considering the amount of goals he scores.

“But he misses a lot of big chances.”