Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen has praised the impact of Mohamed Salah ahead of the Reds’ Premier League outing at Crystal Palace this weekend. The Egypt international has already accumulated 28 goals during the Premier League campaign, and he now has the opportunity to score in 21 separate games, a record previously set by Robin van Persie and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking on BetVictor, Owen said: “Mohamed Salah has scored in 20 of his 30 Premier League games so far this season and he is only one away from the record set by Robin van Persie (2012-13) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2007-08).That statistic shows vividly what a tremendous impact he has had on the Premier League in just his first season as a Reds player.”

Salah stole the limelight prior to the international break as he scored his maiden quadruple during the 5-0 thumping of Watford. With the victory, the Reds have a seven-point lead over fifth-placed Chelsea, though the Blues have an extra game in hand. Liverpool are at Selhurst Park for this weekend’s league meeting versus Crystal Palace, and judging by Jurgen Klopp’s recent comments, he is likely to feature a strong lineup against the Eagles.

Shortly after the Palace game, the Reds have to prepare themselves for a Champions League quarter-final first leg tie against Manchester City, but Klopp is reluctant to take any selection risks at Selhurst Park as it could potentially backfire in the club’s hunt for a top-four finish. Palace have impressed versus the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur of late, only to succumb to late defeats, but they may face a much difficult challenge this weekend with Salah capable of producing moments of magic which have earned him minor comparisons with Lionel Messi. The Barcelona superstar is presently the only player to have scored more goals than the Liverpool ace this term.