Football
Ed Dove, Special to ESPN 7y

Older, wiser Mohamed Salah can be big asset for Liverpool - Luis Garcia

Mohamed Salah's failure with Chelsea and his experiences in Serie A should ensure that he's a success at Liverpool, according to former Reds midfielder Luis Garcia.

Speaking to KweséESPN, the 39-year-old backed an older and wiser Salah to emerge as a valuable asset for Jurgen Klopp's side following his £34.3 million move from AS Roma last month.

The Egypt international already has experience of the Premier League, having made 13 outings during a brief ill-fated spell with Chelsea, but Garcia is confident that things will be different this time around.

"It's not easy to adapt to the Premier League, he already knows that," Garcia told KweséESPN. "Now it's a different moment, he grew up, he's more competitive now, he learned a few more things in another competition and he can bring that to the team.

"With the talent [Liverpool have] got there -- and he's got -- I think he can be a good help for the team."

Salah was signed by Chelsea from FC Basel for £11 million in January 2014, but struggled to assert himself at Stamford Bridge.

He impressed on loan at Fiorentina during the second half of the 2014-15 campaign, and subsequently secured a permanent move to Serie A heavyweights AS Roma.

Garcia believes that, after his experiences in Rome, where Salah scored 29 goals and contributed 17 assists over two seasons, the North African is a changed man and, if he can settle on Merseyside, he can banish the disappointment of his time with the Blues.

"It's not easy when you change a competition, when you go to another country, another language, and you try to perform in a very different competition -- as the Premier League is," Garcia added. "It's very important to have a period of adaptation where you can join and settle a bit, in the city and in the team.

"I think for Salah - it was very important [that he became more mature] - and right now he's a different player."

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