‘Salah behaves similarly to CR7’ – ex-Bucs coach | African News

Former Orlando Pirates and Egypt coach-analyst Michael Loftman says Liverpool talisman Mo Salah “behaves like a 100% professional even though he can afford not to”.

Loftman had a four-month stint with the Pharaohs in the buildup to the Africa Cup of Nations finals held in Cameroon earlier this year.

In the Pharaohs’ camp, Loftman had a chance to watch at close range Mohammad Salah, perhaps the best player in the world currently. What he saw, Loftman says, impressed him beyond measure. Salah has scored 47 goals for Egypt across 82 appearances since his first-team debut for the Pharaohs in 2011.

“How does he behave in training? He’s the first one at the dinner table; [when you look at him] you see what it is to be a high-level professional. “Before you even get to football ability, it’s the attitude. On a human level, he is unbelievable. You go to lunch or dinner. He’s sitting by himself. The other players haven’t arrived yet. He’s dedicated. 

“He behaves like a 100% professional even though he can afford not to. It’s no surprise that Salah behaves similarly to the stories of Ronaldo,” Loftman told FARPost.

In September, when Carlos Queiroz took charge of the Egyptian national team, Loftman joined his coaching staff as a coach-analyst. 

Although he spent just four months with the Pharaohs, he was part of the team that reached the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers.

“Roger de Sa recommended me to Carlos Quieroz, I sent my CV, and I was in Egypt within five days. Roger called me on Tuesday, Carlos called me on Wednesday. I was in Egypt on Sunday. To work with Carlos, he’s worked at Man United, Real Madrid, when a name like that calls to say, come and work with me, you’re crazy not to go,” he said.

The London-born coach described his Cairo experience as “fantastic” although “language was tricky”.

“Fantastic experience, though there wasn’t alignment in the methodology of working in Egypt from a football perspective. The language was tricky. It’s Arabic, the language is different, and the culture is different,” he explained.

When he quit his job in North Africa, Loftman highlighted his desire to return “home” to South Africa on the cusp of the continent’s most prestigious tournament. That decision hammered home that now, for all intents and purposes, the young coach identifies more with South Africa than his native Britain. 

Salah’s Egypt edged Senegal in a crucial 1-0 victory in the first leg of the playoffs round of the African World Cup qualifiers at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday. The Pharaohs scored early in the game, thanks to an own goal in the fourth minute after the ball came off the bar and the rebound hit Saliou Ciss before rolling into his own net. The North Africans held on to their 1-0 lead against the African champions and are now just 90 minutes away from booking a ticket to Qatar.

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