He is the hottest goal-getting property in the Premier League.

Mo Salah heads to the Amex tomorrow aiming to add to his 17 goals this season – and seven in his last four games.

He was rested for three-quarters of Liverpool’s midweek match on the proverbial cold Wednesday night in Stoke.

Then he got on and scored twice.

But, as the Egyptian star takes the league by storm, a former Albion defender has offered a glimpse of the young Mo Salah he met on national team duty with Egypt.

Adam El-Abd, now captain of Wycombe Wanderers, remembers Salah talking to him about the Premier League.

He recalls discussing the young talent’s next big move as he left Egypt.

And he certainly has vivid images of the time the young gem left him for dead on the training pitch.

The Argus:

Adam El-Abd

El-Abd, whose father is Egyptian, was called up by then national team coach Bob Bradley after some stellar displays in the Championship for Gus Poyet’s Albion side.

As he did so, the national squad were promoting some of the brightest young things from the domestic game – and Salah was one of them.

“When I was first there they had four of them they had brought through as top young players,” El-Abd told The Argus.

“One of them didn’t quite come through but the three others are all in the Premier League now – Mohamed Elneny at Arsenal and Ahmed Hegazy at West Brom.

“There was Ramadan Sobhi, now at Stoke, who came in later on.

“I remember we were in camp in Cairo and I used to mark Mo every day in training.

“One time I got caught in a race against him. Needless to say I came off second best.

“I said to myself right there, ‘That’s not happening again’.

“If I had to mark him, I made sure I gave myself at least an arm’s length in terms of distance.

The Argus:

Adam El-Abd with Bob Bradley at an Egypt training camp

“He is very quick and very good technically.

“There have been question marks over his finishing but he has proved those doubters wrong.

“His goals record for Liverpool is ridiculous.

“And his record for Egypt is right up there with the all-time best.”

El-Abd has fond memories of those days playing regular international football and chasing the World Cup dream.

They came during probably the best period of his career as he emerged as a pure defender under Poyet’s guidance and encouragement.

But he was not quite sure how he would fit into the national squad.

He recalled: “I was half-Egyptian, half-English, brought up in England and arriving in the squad predominantly speaking English.

“He made a real effort to talk to me even though his English was a bit broken.

“I know he speaks a lot better now.

“They really made an effort and made me feel welcome.

“I had some really good times with Bob Bradley.

“Those boys were not household names at the time.

“But I remember coming back and telling the boys at Brighton the standard over there was frightening.

“They play a lot of futsal, there’s street football and the kids are very good with the ball.

The Argus:

Salah scores his first at Stoke

“They are very good in tight areas and they take good care of the ball.

“Give them the ball in any situation and it doesn’t faze them.

“They will put a foot on the ball and, if you dive in, they will make a fool of you.

“Futsal is something we should look at more in this country.

“It’s a massive part of the youngsters’ upbringing there.”

But to make their way in the sport they probably have to move on.

Salah had a big decision to make off the field once training was over.

El-Abd said: “He was asking me one night for advice about where he should go.

“He had the chance of Basel or Zenit St Petersburg.

“He were in the hotel and he was asking me about going to Russia.

“He alluded to the fact Zenit were offering silly money.

“I just said I wasn’t sure how he would be received there and he said he agreed.

“He did really well at Basel.

“The one thing that did surprise me was he didn’t get on so well with Chelsea. He would have suited the way they play.

“He’s quick and he is that wide forward – not a centre forward or a winger.

“It was his dream to play in England.

“It was always going to be his route.

“A couple of boys have gone to Basel now and that seems to be a route to the Premier League for Egyptian or other African players.

“One of them, Omar Gaber, signed for Bob in LA and I was a bit surprised.

“He was as good as the others who have come over. He’s a right-back or right-wingback and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him here.”

Although impressed by the talent, El-Abd said he did not take it on himself to start recommending specific players to Albion.

He said: “Gus came to watch one training session in Abu-Dhabi while he was on holiday but it was just a shape session before a game.

“I didn’t think it was my job to tell people about players.

“I didn’t want people to think I was getting above my station and I was well aware we had people whose job was to scout players.

“I suppose Brighton could have signed Mo Salah had they got in before he went to Basel.

“The wages certainly wouldn’t have been a problem at that stage.

“He was very likeable, very popular amongst the boys.

“He was shy, mild-mannered. Then on the pitch he came alive.

“He is very humble but football is as big as religion in Egypt and he is basically the God of Egyptian football.”