Manchester United vs. Liverpool: Klopp And Solskjaer Settle Cristiano Ronaldo, Mo Salah Debate

All eyes are on Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah as the two world-class strikers clash for the first time this season.

On Sunday, Liverpool will take on its English Premier League rival Manchester United at Old Trafford. Ahead of the match, the two clubs’ managers Jurgen Klopp and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were asked by the media about their thoughts on the rivalry between Ronaldo and Salah.

For Liverpool manager Klopp, comparing Ronaldo to Salah doesn’t really make much sense, but as far as the “left foot” goes, the Egyptian definitely has the edge.

“Why should we compare? Both are world-class,” Klopp told reporters, including Goal, of Ronaldo and Salah. “I would say Mo's left foot is better. Cristiano may be better in the air and with his right foot.”

“Speed-wise, both are quick and desperate to score goals, but I'm not too interested in comparing, sorry,” he stressed.

Manchester United boss Solskjaer, on the other hand, remained loyal to his talisman and former teammate. The Norwegian acknowledged the exceptional goal-scoring attributes of Salah but claimed Ronaldo was just a cut above the rest.

"I’ll always back Cristiano in any competition,” Solskjaer said. “He’s unique and his goal-scoring record is fantastic. That being said, Salah is on fire at the moment, and when you see some of the goals he has scored lately, we know we have to be at our best to defend against him.”

"Players like [Ronaldo] this don’t come around very often and we’ve got to enjoy them when we watch them from afar,” he added.

Salah is ahead of Ronaldo so far when it comes to goals this season. To date, he has already netted a total of 12 goals in 11 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, had just returned to his goal-scoring ways after scoring the late UEFA Champions League game heroic against Atalanta. He already has six goals to his name since making his return to Manchester United.

However, Ronaldo is far superior to Salah in terms of accolades. Salah has yet to win the Ballon d’Or award, while the Portuguese icon has already copped it five times.

As for championships, Salah is also behind Ronaldo. The former has earned three domestic league titles, while the latter has achieved it seven times in different leagues—three times in the Premier League and twice each in La Liga and Serie A.