Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah a Premier League great in the making, says Jamie Carragher

Mohamed Salah is a "top goalscorer" who has the potential to be classed alongside legendary Premier League wingers such as Ryan Giggs and Robert Pires if he stays at Liverpool for a long time, former Reds defender Jamie Carragher has said.

Salah, 25, has excelled in his first few months at Anfield, scoring nine goals in 12 league appearances for the Merseyside club after arriving on a £34m ($45m) transfer from Roma in the summer.

The Egypt international is currently sitting top of the Premier League goalscoring charts, and Carragher backed the former Chelsea winger to bag at least 25 goals this season.

"You think of the great goalscoring wingers and if he is here for three or four years he's on the verge of eclipsing them all," the former centre-back told Sky Sports.

"Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and Ryan Giggs at times for Manchester United were wide players who made those runs that Salah is making across defenders, running in behind."

Carragher added that Salah's goalscoring exploits were relieving the pressure on Roberto Firmino to be the main goal-getter at Liverpool.

"People questioned Liverpool last season that they didn't have a goalscorer and you always imagine your goalscorer as your number nine; Harry Kane for Spurs or Romelu Lukakau or Alvaro Morata at top clubs as a centre-forward who gets a lot of goals," he explained.

"Liverpool have got Firmino, but if Salah is getting the goals it doesn't matter where he's playing. If he is going to get 25 goals this season – which he looks on course to get – it's not a problem what position you get them in.

"Salah will take a little bit of pressure off Firmino in terms of that accusation that he doesn't get enough goals."

Former Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy described Salah as a natural goalscorer, referring to his past exploits in Serie A when he was at Roma.

"If you look at his record last year for Roma, he scored 19 goals and the season before that he got 15," Bellamy said.

"He gets goals and he's been a brilliant signing for Liverpool this season."