Liverpool legend Terry McDermott has hailed Mohamed Salah for making the fans "forget about Philippe Coutinho".

The Egypt international already has 36 goals for the campaign and remains on course to score more goals in a single season than any other player in Premier League history.

McDermott, who won five league titles and three European Cups during his playing career, compared Salah to Kenny Dalglish, who in the 1970s replaced another talisman in Kevin Keegan at Anfield.

"Salah has made people ­forget about Philippe Coutinho and I honestly couldn't see that ever happening," the 66-year-old told The Mirror.

"Coutinho was a great player and usually, when he played well, Liverpool would win. When he went (to Barcelona in January), I thought he was going to be a massive loss.

"He creates just as many chances and I'm not having a go at Coutinho, because he is a fantastic player, but I have to say that Salah is unbelievable. I've never known someone in their first season at Anfield except for Kenny Dalglish to have made such an impact.

"We didn't think anyone could replace Kevin Keegan, who had left for ­Hamburg in the summer and had been ­worshipped by the Kop. It was a similar ­situation with Coutinho, but what Salah has done has made certain that the team hasn't ­suffered."

Salah's goal tally leaves him just 11 short of Ian Rush's all-time record for a single Liverpool campaign.