Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has backed Liverpool star Mohamed Salah to lead a golden generation of Arab talent in the Premier League.

Salah has been in sensational form since his club-record switch from Roma in the summer, scoring seven and assisting two in 11 games across all competitions to banish memories of his nightmare Chelsea spell.

It’s not just at club level Salah has impressed, though, with his inspirational performances for Egypt guiding the Pharaohs to their first World Cup since 1990.

And despite the storied hostilities between the two clubs, ex Red Devil Ferdinand believes Salah will spearhead a spike of Arab players in England’s top flight.

“I think Salah has been a revelation since he’s come,” said Ferdinand at the launch of the Dubai Fitness Challenge.

“But what I like about Salah is that he came with Chelsea, didn’t succeed, but went away, worked, came back and now you can see the benefit of working hard and having a strong mentality.

“I think that’s great, and I think that’s a great inspiration for this region to show the players that you can succeed even when you get a knock back.

“Take a step back then come again.”

• READ MORE: Analysis of Salah’s performance against Manchester United

• Mohamed Salah spreads unrivalled joy in the region as Egypt’s long World Cup drought ends

There are currently 10 Arab players (representing Arab countries) in the Premier League with Salah joined by the likes of Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny, Leicester flyer Riyad Mahrez and Southampton striker Sofiane Boufal.

With their success stories that number could well swell in the coming years.