John Terry has acknowledged that, while they were both at Chelsea, he could have handled Mohamed Salah better.
The former Blues captain said on the Obi One Podcast that he thought he should have done more to assist Kevin De Bruyne and the Egyptian winger in feeling more at home at the team.
The careers of Salah and De Bruyne now speak for itself; the two were infamously allowed go by Chelsea under Jose Mourinho after barely getting a sniff at Chelsea.
Terry now acknowledges he could have done more to help the two feel at home at Chelsea. The two are currently perhaps the best players the Premier League has ever seen.
Terry stated: “I think what Salah and De Bruyne needed most was a shoulder to cry on, a somewhere to sit, and a conversation about how I could have helped them get settled in.
“I am truly disappointed in myself as captain because of those two players in particular and the peaks they have reached. And I believe that’s a regret I have that I’ll never be able to get over.”
Salah’s treatment by Chelsea benefits Liverpool.
To suggest that Chelsea blew it with Salah would be an understatement, given that the winger is currently perhaps the greatest player in the Premier League history at his position.
With Salah still performing at a world-class level, Liverpool has enjoyed years of success since his arrival, and Chelsea’s ineptitude with the striker is their gain.
It is difficult to envision Liverpool without Salah, and the winger’s decision to move to Anfield, where his reputation has been cemented beyond measure, was ultimately prompted by Terry’s failure to develop the player.