da bet nacional： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
da cassino： There have been calls from some quarters to include Jack Grealish in the England squad.
So far this season, the Aston Villa man has been in impressive form. He has an average WhoScored Premier League rating of 7.35, scoring two goals and providing three assists in the process. However, Gareth Southgate has decided against calling the 24-year-old up to his team for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Montenegro and Kosovo.
Liverpool fans may be amongst those calling for the attacking midfielder to be selected as well, albeit not necessarily for his football ability, after he named Mohamed Salah in his all-time Premier League XI.
The Egypt international has certainly lit up England’s top tier since his move from AS Roma for £36.9m in 2017.
He has scored a rather astonishing 60 goals in 85 Premier League games, picking up two Golden Boot awards along the way. With him in the team, the Reds have looked a different proposition, and it is hard to imagine them pushing Manchester City all the way last term without him in the side.
However, to include him in a greatest Premier League XI seems to be a bit of a stretch despite his obvious talent. There are a couple of reasons behind this.
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Firstly, he has spent just two full seasons in the division at his best. As we have discussed above, they have been two fantastic years, but they are just two all the same.
If you look at some of the greats, they have made their mark over a long period. Ryan Giggs, for example, made 632 Premier League appearances across a 22-year spell. David Beckham, another memorable wide-man, made 265 appearances across nine seasons. Year after year, they produced to a consistently high standard, being picked regularly by Sir Alex Ferguson.
The second point, and perhaps most important, is in regards to his trophy haul. Between them, Giggs and Beckham have 19 Premier League winners medals. Up until now, Salah has yet to win one. Whilst a title does not necessarily turn you into a great player, you can surely not be included in a greatest-ever XI without having won one.
In all fairness, the 27-year-old could cross that off his list this season.
The Reds are eight points clear at the top of the league and have won 11 of their first 12 games. However, even if they do win it, it is still too early to include him in the best-ever side to grace English pitches. To become a legend, he needs to do it for at least a couple more years yet.