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"Mo is a "superstar" but he doesn't behave like one, - Simon Mignolet

Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah is a “superstar” but the key to his success is that he doesn’t behave like one, according to Simon Mignolet.

The Egypt international celebrated his 20th goal of the season in Sunday’s thrashing of Bournemouth. Mignolet knew the Reds had landed a special talent after receiving rave reviews from his Belgium team-mate Radja Nainggolan, who played alongside Salah at Roma.

However, Mignolet admits Salah has surpassed all expectations and says his humility and work ethic is just as impressive as his natural ability.

“Mo is a superstar but he’s very much a team player,” Mignolet said.

“Even on Sunday, he was working so hard for the team, getting back and defending and helping out his full-back.

“There’s no danger of him getting carried away. He’s very focused on his job. Teams know they have to look out for him but trying to stop him is very difficult.

“I know Radja Nainggolan really well and he told me he was a brilliant player. I wasn’t expecting him to score so many goals, especially as a winger, but he’s done so well.

“He knew what the Premier League was all about from his time at Chelsea and he obviously learned and progressed during his time in Italy. He’s got quick feet but he’s very strong too. You can’t knock over him and he suits the English style of play.

“To score 20 goals already is a great achievement and let’s hope he stays fit and keeps on scoring goals for us.”

A dominant team display against the Cherries lifted Liverpool back into the top four and Mignolet believes the sight of Adam Lallana, Danny Ings and Dominic Solanke coming off the bench highlighted the depth of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

“We played really well,” Mignolet added.

“At 2-0 they had a couple of chances but we defended really well and scored some good goals on the counter-attack. It was important to get back to winning ways after the two draws we had.

“Getting the first goal is so important because it opens a game up. Bournemouth had to come out and play. They are a football playing side and that approach makes them a bit easier for us to play against. It was a nice feeling to win 4-0.

“I was thinking before the game about how strong our bench looked. There was a lot of quality. Sadio (Mane) didn’t even need to come on.

“Now our focus is on a very important game against Arsenal. It’s always an exciting fixture and we’ll go into it with confidence.”

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will return to the Emirates on a high after delivering his best performance for the Reds since his summer move from the capital.

“He has worked really hard in training in order to get up to speed,” Mignolet said.

“The way we play is a bit different to what he was used to at Arsenal. But from the moment he came in you could see his quality and now the work he’s put in is paying off.”