Liverpool 1-1 Brentford: "Ridiculous" Mo Salah shows Arne Slot the standards his replacement needs to hit in Premier League

Written by David Lynch, Liverpool expert:

Liverpool did not need a vintage Mohamed Salah performance on his final game for the club to know what they will be missing when he leaves this summer.

They have already built up sufficient evidence of his importance across this forgettable season, one in which the Egyptian's usual ridiculous standards have slipped slightly due to the consequences of ageing.

Without his typical haul of around 20 Premier League goals, the Reds have looked toothless, finding themselves in a battle to reach the Champions League rather than a title race as a result.

Despite spending almost £200m on their attack last summer, not one player has yet proven themselves capable of stepping up to fill the void.

For that reason, Salah remains Liverpool's most important attacker, as he proved here in teeing up Curtis Jones in brilliant fashion having earlier hit the post.

It was the forward's 94th Premier League assist, with that his 93rd for the Reds, moving him one beyond Steven Gerrard (92) as the outright leader in that statistic for the club.

That is the sort of output that will need to be replaced if this club is to return to challenging for top honours on a consistent basis.

Liverpool 1-1 Brentford: Yan Diomande or Bradley Barcola as Mo Salah's "replacement"?

© Iconsport / SPI

Where Liverpool might find their Salah replacement is one of the most interesting questions they must answer across the course of a pivotal summer.

Having injured his Achilles recently, Hugo Ekitike is effectively ruled out of being the answer before the final throes of the next campaign.

Alexander Isak, meanwhile, must do infinitely better in terms of both the quality of his performances and availability after a woeful first season in red.

Perhaps, then, the true replacement is a player who has yet to join the club, with Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola among the wingers linked.

Of course the likeliest outcome of all - one which no Liverpool fan will wish to face - is that, in the short term at least, Salah proves to effectively be irreplaceable.