Mohamed Salah admits Hugo Ekitike problems as Liverpool sign Alexander Isak

Mohamed Salah has opened up on his start to the season with Liverpool, admitting he is still trying to figure out his partnership with Hugo Ekitike in attack

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has admitted that he is still finding his feet playing alongside new team-mate Hugo Ekitike.

The Egyptian forward is part of an overhauled Reds attack featuring Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, with Alexander Isak set to join the mix after the international break. The Merseyside club splashed out an eye-watering £450million during the summer transfer window, with Isak, Wirtz and Ekitike being the most expensive signings.

They’ve stepped in to fill the shoes left by Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, who left in the same window, and Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a car accident. Despite a promising start with three back-to-back Premier League victories against Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal, and Ekitike scoring in his first two league matches, the overall team performance has been lacklustre.

Late goals were needed in the first two games, and a stunning Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick was required to clinch the win against Arsenal.

Salah scored against Bournemouth and assisted Rio Ngumoha’s last-minute winner at St James’ Park, but concedes he’s yet to find his best form. Speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast, he acknowledged that it will take time to build chemistry with Ekitike and the rest of the squad.

Salah admitted: “So far I didn’t figure the connections out yet. Like with Darwin or Lucho or the guys they used to play in front, or Diogo. I knew where to start with Diogo or Darwin. I know where to find them. I knew their game very well but with Hugo he’s still new.

“Sometimes I need the ball in the field. Sometimes we need it in the space. We try to figure that out, through the training sessions or like the videos. The manager shows us. So I will figure it out soon because also it’s going to help my game to grow as well.”

Playing alongside the £125m Isak, the £116m Wirtz and £79m Ekitike, Salah is also working with 17-year-old prodigy Ngumoha.

The teenager showed his composure by converting Salah’s cross to secure the 3-2 victory over Newcastle, and he couldn’t ask for a better mentor than the Egyptian superstar.

Salah reflected on Ngumoha: “So what future is waiting for him? It depends how he’s going to handle the situation. How are we going to work? I need to work hard and just stay humble because he’s very young. I told him that some players peak too early and they’re going to struggle after that.

“I really wish him the best. He has a good group (here around him) and we always try to speak with him – and the manager ( Arne Slot ) also speaks to him, so he just need to stay humble and work and see how things go.”