Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 7y

Roma's Mohamed Salah praises Jose Mourinho despite Chelsea struggles

Mohamed Salah was "sad" during his spell at Chelsea, but the Egypt international told France Football he still rates the experience as positive.

Salah, 24, moved to Chelsea from Basel for £11 million in January 2014, but failed to convince then-manager Jose Mourinho he was worthy of a regular place in the first team.

After just 13 Premier League appearances, only six of which were starts, he departed for a six-month loan spell at Fiorentina before spending last season on loan at Roma, a switch that was made permanent for a fee of €15m last summer, bringing to an end his time in the Premier League.

"It was one of the key moments of my life and my career in terms of learning. I was young, and suddenly I was alongside one of the best tacticians in the world [Mourinho], with exceptional players," Salah said.

"I didn't play much, it's true, and I was not necessarily happy. I wanted to show what I was capable of. I was sad not to be able to do that. In spite of everything, I had a very good relationship with coach Mourinho. In every aspect, I only retain the positive, and that was the case at Chelsea."

He added: "I always gave everything, but regardless of what I did in training, I was not in the starting lineup. I had to respect the coach's choices. He had some 20 players and had to pick 11, that's how it is."

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