Liverpool legend John Barnes has questioned the timing of Mohamed Salah announcing his exit - and believes the Reds shouldn't look to splash out huge wages on replacing the Egyptian.
Salah confirmed last week he will leave at the end of the season after nine years at Anfield during which he has won multiple team and individual honours and become the third-highest goalscorer in the club's history.
It comes towards the end of a campaign in which both the 33-year-old and Liverpool have underwhelmed massively in their defence of the Premier League title.
They face a major battle to qualify for the Champions League, but have reached the last eight of this season's competition while also progressing to an FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester City on Saturday.
And Barnes believes the fact Liverpool have plenty still to play for this campaign is in danger of being overshadowed by the long goodbye for Salah.
"Well, he's been incredible, hasn't he?" said the former Reds winger. "He's been one of the best players Liverpool have ever had.
"In the Premier League, he's up there with Thierry Henry and whoever you want to mention as one of the best players the Premier League has ever seen.
"(But) I don't think it was good timing from him. I think we should have really got to the end of the season and then he left, rather than announcing it now, because I don't think that necessarily helps. It doesn't help Liverpool.
"Liverpool aren't doing particularly well, so that is a negative. Does (the announcement) help the manager Arne Slot in terms of the fans loving him (Salah) and he's not playing, he wants to go? That's not really going to help."
With Salah leaving, Liverpool are expected to strengthen their attacking resources in the summer. But Barnes believes other areas of the team should be a priority while insisting the Reds in any case need to look for a different profile of player to the Egyptian.
Speaking to talkSPORT Breakfast, Barnes added: "In terms of replacements, if you look at what we have, our problem is going forward and scoring goals. (Liverpool have) Ekitike and Isak, we've got Ngumoha, we've still got Gakpo.
"I don't feel that we necessarily have to replace him, because I don't think that the solution is to go and get another player to give him £400,000 a week to replace Mo Salah.
"We have enough strikers, we have enough attackers. Our problem is in midfield and defence. That's really what we have to do. So I don't think we have to go and replace him necessarily. But he's been an incredible footballer for Liverpool, one of the best ever."
