Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says he currently rates Liverpool forward Mo Salah ahead of Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard due to the form of the two players this campaign.

Following the Belgian’s £100m move from Chelsea to the Bernabeu in the summer, the winger has struggled with his fitness, and when asked to compare the two recently, Ferdinand replied:

“Salah or Hazard? Right now Salah, but I love Hazard. Hazard. One v One, he can beat anyone. He hasn’t had a good time of it since he’s been at Madrid, though.”

It is not much of a contest if we look at the numbers. Salah has bagged 20 goals and contributed nine assists in 40 appearances this season. In contrast, Hazard has scored just once and laid on five assists in 15 games.

Even so, if we look back even further over the past three years, the Egyptian has still performed far more consistently than his former Chelsea rival.

Salah’s 91 goals in 144 games stacks up very well versus Hazard’s 39 in 119 appearances in all competitions, and while it could be argued they play slightly different roles, their goal contributions are miles apart.