'Shadow Of Cristiano Ronaldo': Mohamed Salah Warned Against Leaving Liverpool For Madrid

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah should not leave for Real Madrid or he will risk being in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo according to former Egypt coach Hassan Shehata.

Salah has been in exceptional form for Liverpool, since joining last summer from Roma, netting 38 goals in all competitions, the most recent of which was in the 3-0 win over Manchester City last week, in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal clash.

The Egyptian international also bagged his fourth PFA Player of the Month award on Monday as his performances at Anfield drew the attention of La Liga's giants in Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane did not reveal much in terms of a potential transfer but notably praised the 25-year-old as a player he rates a lot back in December.

"Salah is a great player. He showed that at Roma, now at Liverpool," Zidane said. "He’s still young and is improving all the time. I don’t talk much about other players, but he is a player I rate a lot."

Despite praising his fellow countryman, Shehata believes it is best for Salah to remain at Liverpool, where he will be the first name on the teamsheet in every game as opposed to likely being in Ronaldo's shadow in Spain.

"It is honor to us when we talk about Mohamed Salah," Shehata told ON Sport, as per Goal.com. "He did great job this year with Liverpool. He can either leave for Barcelona or Real Madrid, or he can stay with Liverpool."

"It is up to him, but I think he should play for the team who will always let him play. Salah is the biggest star with Liverpool, but with Real Madrid he will under the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo."

Shehata also used the example of Neymar, who while still regarded as potentially the next best player in the world, decided to leave Barcelona after just four seasons for Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain last summer as he reportedly wanted to play for a side built around him rather than Lionel Messi.

"That's what made Neymar leave Barcelona, because he wanted to be out of Lionel Messi's shadow," Shehata explained. "Salah should think very well before he leaves Liverpool and get advice from trustworthy professional people, then he will take the best decision for himself."

Meanwhile, Salah was back in training on Monday after suffering a groin injury in last week's win over City. The former Roma man came off early on in the second half with manager Jurgen Klopp revealing he needed a diagnosis as he missed the 0-0 draw with Everton over the weekend.

However, he is likely to feature on Tuesday in the second leg against Pep Guardiola's side as Liverpool look to make use of their 3-0 advantage and reach the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2008.