Troy Deeney told to 'back up' ridiculous Mohamed Salah claim after Vinicius Jr comparison

Former Premier League manager as he called out Troy Deeney after he

The legend has , having notched eight goals and six assists in 11 appearances so far this term. The 32-year-old's legacy at Anfield is already secure after winning every major honor on offer including the and during his time on Merseyside.

Alongside these achievements, Salah also sits in fourth place in the club's all-time goalscoring standings - ahead of fellow Kop heroes and . However, his performances during his storied spell with the Reds have not been enough to convince former Watford striker Deeney that he is "world class".

Speaking on talkSPORT, the retired forward revealed that he would judge winger Vinicius Jr to be a better player than the Egyptian great. He said: "I think Mohamed Salah is excellent, he’s a pivotal part for Liverpool and they should never have let it [his expiring contract] get to this situation.

"But I understand that there’s a financial structure around what they want to try and keep to. My argument has always been that I just don’t think he’s world class. But world class is just a different opinion, what I think of world class is would I want my kids to play like that player?

"That's what I think is world class. If I was asking my kids who want to be forwards, I would be saying I would like them to look at what Vinicius Jr does as opposed to Mohamed Salah."

Deeney added: "His goals that he [Salah] scores, he scores an unbelievable amount of goals, he's highly effective, but that’s just my opinion. He's probably going to turn around and say, 'Who the ---- is Troy?,' and fair play to him, but that's my opinion."

However, revealing his disapproval of these remarks, ex-Newcastle and West Ham manager Pardew responded on talkSPORT, saying: "You know, it's all good having an opinion, but if you're going to have an opinion, back it up with some stats or some facts or some kind of foundation.

"And I don't know where Troy's coming from with a foundation, because Vinicius, obviously, got more tricks and is a little bit more flamboyant. Maybe that's what he was aiming his conversation at more than Mo. Mo is no frills. There's no frills. It's efficiency that he's about."

On whether is "world class", the veteran coach added: "Yes. Numbers. If you look at his numbers, you'd have to say he is. And, you know, when you look at the international team that he's playing for, unfortunately, a little bit like Ian Rush when he was at Wales, hasn't really got the platform to do it at world level with his country."