Any member of Liverpool’s squad could be forgiven for struggling to keep pace with Mohamed Salah this season.

The Egyptian has enjoyed countless hot streaks since signing for the Reds in 2017, but he could well be in the form of his life under Arne Slot. And his ridiculous haul of goals and assists is making his team-mates look bad.

No fair-minded fan could criticise a Liverpool attacker for being outshone by Salah at the peak of his powers. But the extent to which Luis Diaz is being left in the dust is particularly concerning, given that the Colombian has spent the past few months as the spearhead of Slot’s attack.

Shockingly, Salah’s season total of 36 Premier League goal contributions (22 goals, 14 assists), is exactly the same amount Diaz has managed over his entire three-year Liverpool career.

Put another way, Salah has racked up as many combined goals and assists in 24 matches as Diaz has managed in 90. At a club with more modest ambitions, scoring 24 goals and laying on 12 assists in that many games would be perfectly respectable.

But when Salah is setting the standard, every piece of silverware is on the line and players like Cody Gakpo are upping their game, Diaz’s comparative lack of productivity puts sporting director Richard Hughes in a difficult position.

Liverpool have kept their powder dry in the two transfer windows since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the dugout. Federico Chiesa was signed on the cheap last summer and Giorgi Mamardashvili was snapped up on a deal which will see him land at Anfield for the start of next season.

Aside from that, the Reds have been broadly inactive and Slot has brought the best out of the players already at the club. But this summer, with the Dutch manager inspiring faith that he is the right person to back with signings, Liverpool are expected to splash out.

Their careful approach in recent windows should ensure they have money to spend. But where they spend it, and whether Diaz is sold to boost the transfer kitty, remains to be seen.

The 28-year-old’s relentless energy made him an instant hit at Anfield but his stock has gradually fallen since. The fact he will only have two years left on his contract this summer only increases the likelihood of him being auctioned off.

It may all boil down to whether Slot, Hughes and the rest of the Liverpool hierarchy expect greater output from a player in a team firing on all cylinders, and whether a possible upgrade could propel them towards long-term Premier League dominance.