Jamie Carragher makes Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo claim while talking about Liverpool's 'over-reliance' on one key player

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has claimed that the Reds have been highly dependent on Mohamed Salah this season. He also likened the Egyptian forward to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's playing days at Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

In an interview with Sky Sports, before Liverpool's 2-1 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, Carragher said (via Liverpool.com):

“I suppose it is an over-reliance when someone's having such a good season, that's always going to be the case."

He added:

“He's having one of those seasons where you’d see five or ten years ago, Messi and Ronaldo at Barca and Real Madrid, they were probably over-reliant on those players. You're always going to be with someone who's in such a rich vein of form.”

Salah has proven to be a key player for the Reds in attack this season. In 36 appearances across competitions, he has scored 28 goals and provided 19 assists.

Salah has also scored 23 goals, the most goals by a player in the Premier League this season. He also doubles as the player with the most assists, having registered 14 assists in 25 league games. However, his contract at Anfield is set to expire in the summer and he's yet to pen a new deal. This implies that he might leave as a free agent in the coming months.

He remains an important player for the Reds as they look to win the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and the EFL Cup this season.

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"If they can keep him fit between now and the end of the season, they're going to score a lot more goals" - says Jamie Carragher on Liverpool forward Diogo Jota

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool - Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg - Source: Getty

Jamie Carragher also claimed that if the Reds can keep Diogo Jota fit, their attacking proficiency would improve, and this would reduce the reliance on Salah. This comes after Jota registered his first league start for Liverpool since October 2024 as they defeated Wolves 2-1 on Sunday, February 16.

In an interview, Carragher was asked about Jota's inclusion in the Reds starting XI for the first time in the Premier League since October 2024. He said (via Liverpool.com):

"When you think of Liverpool's best team, for me Jota is the center forward in that team. The manager said to us before the game it feels like months since he's had him and it has been months since he started that game. He's been very in and out and I think they've been reluctant to just throw him straight in to play 90 minutes because they know that he's susceptible to injuries."

He added:

"If they can keep him fit between now and the end of the season, they're going to score a lot more goals and they won't be as over-reliant on Mo Salah."

Jota has scored eight goals and provided two assists in 23 appearances across competitions for the Reds this season. The Merseysiders will take on Aston Villa in their next Premier League game on Wednesday (February 19) at Villa Park.