It would “make sense” to extend Mohamed Salah’s contract at Liverpool as he still “loves” playing for the club, journalist and author Simon Hughes has said.

With the striker’s contract set to expire this summer and no new deal yet, questions have been raised over Salah’s future with the Reds.

A recent cryptic social media post after scoring against Brighton has fans fearing his time with the club may be coming to an end, but Hughes is less sure.

“He (Salah) loves playing for Liverpool,” he told BBC Radio Merseyside.

“People will argue all day: does he really like playing for Liverpool? Or does he just like the fact that he is a great player at Liverpool?

“You can learn a lot from just watching the way he reacts after scoring a goal, especially in front of the Kop. He’s really got that and he gets a lot of confidence from playing at Liverpool and the support and the love he receives from the crowd.

“I don’t think he underestimates that and the impact it has on him to perform at the level he does.”

Despite uncertainty over his future, the 32-year-old has continued to shine at the highest level, already scoring 10 goals and 10 assists so far this season.

“It would make sense, both on his part and on the part of the club, to extend this relationship for at least two years,” added Hughes.

“It will be very difficult for the Liverpool owners if he finishes this season for the eighth year in a row with more than 20 goals.

“And it’s not just the goals, but also the impact he has on matches. He still scores goals in big games and it’s not easy to replace that.

“It’s very easy to let greatness disappear, but it’s much harder to rediscover it. I just hope Liverpool know what they have here.”

Listen to the interview on BBC Sounds