Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Egypt international made history in more ways than one at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where he had a direct hand in four of his side's six goals on the evening, two of his own and two assists.
Salah now has 15 goals and 11 assists in the current Premier League campaign - both of which are division bests - and he became the first player in the competition to reach 10 goals and 10 assists in one season before Christmas.
The 32-year-old has also hit double figures in both metrics for the sixth different Premier League season - overtaking Wayne Rooney's previous record of five - while moving into fourth place in Liverpool's all-time men's scoring charts.
Salah has now notched a glorious 229 goals for the Reds in all competitions since 2017, and he is only adrift of Gordon Hodgson (241), Roger Hunt (285) and Rush (346) in the historical rankings.
Salah reveals "good contact" with Liverpool legend Rush
© Imago
Salah could very well overtake Hodgson before the 2024-25 campaign is over, but to score another 118 goals and surpass Rush, he would likely need to continue at Anfield for several more years.
The ex-Chelsea and Roma man is yet to extend his contract beyond the end of the season, and after telling Sky Sports News that there was no update on his situation, he did not suggest too much either way to Liverpool's official channels.
Asked if he could potentially break Rush's record, Salah replied: "I don't know how he scored that many goals, to be fair. I think the football in that time was quite seven versus seven and not really 11 versus 11!
"He's a great legend for the club and we have a good contact. Whatever I'm going to end my career with I'm happy about it, so let's see."
How many games would Salah need to overtake Rush?
© Imago
Salah registers one goal every 0.61 games for Liverpool, and going by the law of averages, he would have to make 569 appearances for the club to overtake Rush with 347 Reds goals.
Many Liverpool legends have played well over 569 games for the club - all-time record holder Ian Callaghan appeared on a staggering 857 occasions, although he spent almost all of his senior career at Anfield.
Salah's outing against Spurs on Sunday evening was his 373rd official match for Liverpool, leaving him 196 shy of hitting the 569 mark, but it would most likely take another four or five seasons for him to rack up almost another double century.
The 32-year-old should not have hung up his boots by the time 2028 or 2029 rolls around, but Liverpool would understandably be hesitant to offer him a new four or five-year deal at his age, even if he is arguably getting better rather than declining.
The Reds board are thought to have tabled their first offer of a new deal to Salah, but a three-year extension is surely the best he can hope for, so Rush's record should be safe unless Liverpool's star man can consistently hit 2012 Lionel Messi numbers for a few seasons running.
Ben Knapton
