Salah's PFA chances depend on Champions League, believes Souness

Mohamed Salah's chances of beating Kevin De Bruyne to the PFA Player of the Year award could hinge on Liverpool overcoming Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals, says Graeme Souness.

The Egyptian forward has enjoyed an exceptional first season on Merseyside, scoring 37 goals across all competitions and firing Liverpool to the last eight of Europe's elite competition for the first time in nine years.

But Souness, a three-time European Cup winner with Liverpool, thinks that only progression to the semi-finals over the Premier League's runaway leaders will see him claim the individual gong ahead of De Bruyne.

"Scoring goals is the hardest thing in football and Salah has done that better than anyone else this year," Souness told Omnisport, speaking at an event organised by One Family and the Ian Rush Foundation.

"If [City] beat Liverpool though, then people will be talking about City players and not Liverpool players because that will be the season over.

"If City end up winning the Premier League and the Champions League, you'd be picking someone from that team.

"Salah's had a great year and if he doesn't win it, he must be runner-up."