In an interview in the Dubai International Sports Conference, Puyol said, “Arab players should follow the footsteps of Mohamed Salah and seek opportunities to play in Europe.”

He added, “Playing in Europe and gaining experience will then reflect positively on the Arab national teams’ performance in the continental events.”

Salah has enjoyed an electrifying start to life as a Liverpool player, having scored 21 goals and delivered six assists in just 28 appearances for the club.

The Egyptian has also won the 2017 BBC African Footballer of the year and was nominated for the CAF African player of the year, after guiding Egypt to their first World Cup in 28 years.