Mohammed Salah admitted he is “truly lost for words” as he paid his tributes following the death of Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota.
Jota passed away alongside his brother Andre Silva after a car crash in Spain in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The Portuguese brothers were making their travels back to England when their car suffered a suspected tyre blowout in the process of them overtaking another vehicle which caused them to spiral off the road.
Tributes have trooped in from the football community with Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp leading the way.
Now Salah, who had been Jota’s teammate at Anfield since 2020, posted his own emotional message, admitting the situation has left him scared of returning for pre-season.
“I am truly lost for words,” Salah posted on X, reflecting on Jota’s passing.
“Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break.
“Teammates come and go, but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back.
“My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children.
“Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten.”
Salah and Jota played 151 games together for Liverpool and combined for 19 goals.
Jota made 182 appearances for the club and scored 65 goals and was part of the squad that won last season’s Premier League title and previously won the FA Cup and two League Cups.