Liverpool “won’t get the best out of” Mo Salah if Darwin Nunez is on the pitch at the same time as the Egyptian, according to Paul Merson.

At the weekend, fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville had expressed his excitement about a potential partnership between the two players but Merson doesn’t feel the pair are compatible:

“When Darwin Nunez came on, the worrying thing was that he didn’t pass the ball to Salah. It’s even more worrying that he didn’t even spot Salah’s run. They might play Carvalho or Harvey Elliott further up the pitch this week. With West Ham’s injuries at the back, this might be a good time to help Nunez with his game. With him on the pitch, however, you won’t get the best out of Salah.”

It could be argued that the decision to play Salah as a winger in order to accommodate Nunez as the striker has nullified the Egyptian international’s goal threat, so Merson is probably correct in that regard, but manager Jurgen Klopp has changed systems recently.

If, as Neville seems to be suggesting, Nunez and Salah play up front together, it would be an intriguing combination. Whether we will ever see it happening, we shall have to wait and see.

For the West Ham game, it would be harsh to drop Roberto Firmino, considering his excellent form in recent weeks and his telepathic understanding with Salah. From the looks of things, Nunez may start on the bench again.