"I love him, I absolutely love him!" - Joe Cole picks Premier League's best player this season 

Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has named Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah as the Premier League's best player so far this season.

Mo Salah has been on fire in the league so far this campaign and is currently leading the goalscoring charts. The 29-year-old winger has scored 16 goals and provided nine assists in 20 league outings this season.

Salah is currently competing in the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt, where he scored the winning penalty in the round of 16 shootout against Ivory Coast. Despite missing two league games due to being away, he is still six goals ahead at the summit.

Joe Cole is in awe of the Liverpool winger and even goes as far as to compare the Egyptian to Lionel Messi. Speaking on YouTube channel JOE, Cole said:

"A few weeks ago I think we said Bernardo Silva. But it can only be one man, for me. I think he’s the best player in the world at the moment and it’s Mo Salah. He’s having four weeks off playing in the Africa Cup of Nations, but he’s still top of the scoring charts. I love him, I absolutely love him."

He added:

"I don’t think anyone will ever get close to Messi in his prime. I think that’s going to be a long, long time before we see that kind of level, but he’s the closest I’ve seen to it at the moment. How long he can sustain this… some of the goals he has scored are incredible."

It is also worth mentioning that Salah's nine assists are also the second most in the Premier League. He is only trailing fellow Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has 10 assists this season.

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Liverpool secure two Premier League wins despite missing Mo Salah

Despite missing their main source of goals, Liverpool notched up two straight wins in the Premier League. The Reds secured a routine 3-0 win over Brentford before beating Crystal Palace 3-1. In Salah's absence, Liverpool have found goals from the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabinho and Diogo Jota.

As things stand, Liverpool are second in the Premier League standings. Jurgen Klopp's side have amassed 48 points from 22 matches. They currently trail leaders Manchester City by nine points but do have a game in hand.

Salah's absence did not hinder Liverpool's chances in the Carabao Cup semi-final. The Reds defeated Arsenal 2-0 on aggregate thanks to a brace from in-form forward Diogo Jota in the second leg. They have advanced through to the final where they will face Chelsea on the February 27.