Robbie Fowler believes Liverpool are well placed to handle the end-of-season exit of Mohamed Salah as the iconic No.11 enters the final two months of a nine-year Anfield career.
But the legendary Fowler - who was surpassed by Salah as the Reds' leading scorer of the Premier League era three years ago - admits the club will miss an "extraordinary" player who will go down as one of the all-time greats when he departs at the end of May.
The Egyptian's glittering Liverpool career includes seven major honours, including two Premier League titles and the 2019 Champions League, while his 255 goals on Merseyside have only been bettered by Ian Rush and Roger Hunt across 134 years of club history.
Fowler, who sits seventh on that particular list with 183, believes last summer's recruitment work, which saw the champions spend £320m on Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, proves the Reds were preparing for life after Salah at Anfield.
And the former Liverpool striker argues the club's history of absorbing the exits of key players bodes well for when the 33-year-old calls time at the end of the campaign.
"I mean, again, you can't add any superlatives that haven't already been said about Mo," Fowler told the ECHO. "He is an incredible player for this football club, his numbers are extraordinary. For anyone to get anywhere near those numbers again, you're talking about a very good player.
"And this is one of the things that I have sort of felt sorry for him for this year because, okay, we've seen he hasn't quite been the same player as some previous seasons in the past, but numbers-wise, if you've got his numbers and put him in another team, they would still be [viewed as] good.
"But because his numbers have been so extraordinary in the years gone by, especially last year, people want to see that all the time. That, unfortunately, is what the world is like.
"But he has been unbelievable for Liverpool, of course and we sort of envisioned that he wouldn't be at Liverpool forever and it'll be a sad day when he actually goes.
"This is the beauty of this football club. We have always found players to come in after the 'chosen one', if you like, has walked away and gone somewhere else.
"The club has done it for years and at the time you're probably thinking: 'This will never be the same'. But we have always gone on to do well."
Fowler, speaking to the ECHO at Anfield in conjunction with club partners Haier, added: "Now I am not saying we're going to do that easily because you've still got to go out there and work and do the job.
"But I think the work was probably done last summer, bringing in Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, because these are probably signed with the hope of seeing something after Mo Salah has left.
"I would be amazed if there's not some sort of formation change or a little changed in approach because the players that were signed who would thrive in a different formation and a different setting.
"It's quite right [Liverpool have been planning beyond Salah] because that is what football clubs need to do to grow. You can't suddenly make a plan when a star player wants to leave, it has to be in progress beforehand and it is one they have to get right.
"The timing of it was brilliant to be honest, I sort of envisioned it would too with the way the season has gone. We've probably needed that little bit of lift and Mo knowing it is going to be his final season, not only does it give the players a lift but the fans as well. To go all out on a high for him.
"He has been an incredible player for Liverpool and it is obviously sad to see him go. The players, certainly, and everyone really will be galvanised by it. It gives everyone a lift."
Liverpool return to action on Saturday lunchtime when they are hosted by Manchester City in the quarter-final of the FA Cup before another last-eight fixture next week sees them entertained by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League tie.
It's been a tough term for Arne Slot and his players, who find themselves down in fifth after 10 league defeats as defending champions. However, Fowler says the return of action later this month still offers plenty of opportunities for the remainder of the campaign.
"Look, I think we'd all love to be sat here saying Liverpool can still win the Premier League but it is out of our hands now, there's no chance now in all fairness," Fowler says.
"I think at the start of the season, with all the players signed, I think a lot of people thinking it was a chance to go back to back with titles but it wasn't to be. Certain things have happened in games with results, players have been injured, we don't need to go too much into it but it hasn't been the perfect season.
"And again, if you talk about the pressures, trying to emulate what they did last season has been difficult but we still go towards the latter stages of the season with a realistic chance of winning silverware.
"That, for me, is the bare minimum at this football club, we should be doing that every season. So as much as we can't win the league, there's a realistic chance of going further in these competitions.
"And we've seen enough of Liverpool in the past, not just this season but in others gone by, you never write us off. And when everyone seems to be against us that is when maybe you see better results."
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