Jose Mourinho made Mohamed Salah cry by 'destroying him' in furious Chelsea encounter

If Mohamed Salah is to remain at Liverpool next season, there is at least a precedent for the Egypt superstar to blossom into greatness after an awkward exchange between himself and a former manager.

The Liverpool star, 31, is regarded as one of the best forwards in the world and has written himself into the Premier League history books. Yet, Salah has endured an underwhelming season by his standards, compounded by a hamstring injury while away with his country and the pressures of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's farewell tour.

All of which came to a head on Saturday when Salah and Klopp were involved in an ugly touchline spat during a 2-2 draw with West Ham United. The unsavoury scenes were exacerbated when Salah declined interview requests, claiming that if he spoke there would be «fire».

The episode ignited claims that Liverpool would be better off selling the three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner in the summer as the post-Klopp era kicks into gear. Yet, disposing of a player of Salah's obvious quality is controversial and Salah has proven previously that he can emerge on the right side of the margins after a vitriolic quarrel with a manager, reports the Mirror.

Indeed, Salah spent a difficult two-and-a-half years on the books at Chelsea under the management of Jose Mourinho. With a price tag of £11million after joining from Basel in 2014, Salah scored just twice in 19 appearances in all competitions.

Salah's struggles under Mourinho's tough management style are well-known. In May 2014, after a disappointing performance that saw him substituted for Eden Hazard at half-time, Mourinho didn't hold back in his criticism of Salah in front of the entire team.

Thiago Silva sends emotional Chelsea message after club make