Chelsea wide man Mohamed Salah (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt winger Mohamed Salah must seriously fear for his place at Chelsea after his poor showing against League 2 side Shrewsbury in the Capital One Cup, Bleacherreport reported on Thursday.
After being given the opportunity to prove his worth against a weak opponent in Shrewsbury on Tuesday, Salah seemed to have blown the chance away before being eventually substituted with ten minutes left in the 2-1 victory.
According to the American website, Salah's place is most threatened by Chelsea youngsters who managed to outshine the Egyptian in the absence of big names at the World Cup during preseason.
Lewis Baker, who made the squad for the Manchester United 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, and Izzy Brown were mentioned as hot future prospects, whose Salah's presence prevents them coming through.
And while manager Jose Mourinho openly blasted Salah and Andre Schurrle for their performance in the cup game, the World Cup winner looks to have a chance to retain his place at Stamford Bridge unlike his Egyptian teammate.
Schurrle has played a role in helping Chelsea top the Premier League table so far this season, having sparkled in the 2-0 win over Arsenal and scored Chelsea's opener in the 1-1 draw at title-rivals Manchester City.
But for Salah, who was bought from Basel for £11 million in January, it is entirely the opposite – having failed to make an impact in his overall 98 minute-playing time this season ahead of the Shrewsbury fixture.
The 22-year-old winger, who scored for Egypt in the recent 2-0 win over Botswana in the 2015 CAN qualifiers, must now turn in a big performance between now and January if he is to dissuade Mourinho from offloading him.
Whether Salah would be able to convince Mourinho of his worth in the upcoming period remains to be seen, as the Egypt wide man is currently turning into an '£11 million mistake' according to the Sports website.
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