Jurgen Klopp has recently hinted who will be Mo Salah’s Liverpool replacement

Jurgen Klopp's faith to stick with Mo Salah has reaped the dividends.

After the Liverpool forward fired a second straight spot-kick wide in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal, having also blazed well off target in the meek 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, some questioned whether he should retain the duty.

After his miss against the Gunners, it took Salah's record to 24 successful efforts from 29 attempts - working out at 82.76%. Yet after missing successive penalties, the scrutiny arrived. Jurgen Klopp said after Arsenal that he would speak to the Egypt international about whether he'd retain the responsibility going forward. Those talks were held and the outcome they came to was that nothing would change.

What has changed is that Salah's recaptured his touch. He nonchalantly sent an effort down the middle in Liverpool's 4-3 victory over Tottenham before repeating the feat to slot home the only goal of the game in the win against Fulham earlier this week.

Speaking after the Fulham game, Klopp said: "We had a conversation and he wanted to stay the penalty taker. We had a normal conversation about it. I said, 'OK, yeah, you are.' You don't feel great in that moment, that's what he said: I don't feel right in that moment because the pressure obviously increases with the penalties you miss.

“Then Fab, or Trent, or whoever is two and three, give the ball to them, but that's now he smashed the jigsaw, or whatever, the destiny again, and turned it around. This today was a super penalty I would say - that's really clear. So, I think with all the goals Mo scored, we cannot just judge it with two missed [and] go away from it. That's what I meant when I said we will talk about it. I know you understand when I said we'll talk about it [that] I tell him, 'You are off.' But it was a conversation between two grown-up men."

So Salah will remain the undisputed first choice. But what stood out in Klopp's comments is the current penalty pecking order should Salah not be on the pitch - and what the future holds down the line.

James Milner has served as Salah's deputy when he's been on the pitch. Milner used to be the go-to man before Salah arrived and even in his first season after signing from AS Roma. The vice-captain has proven devastating from 12 yards, missing just twice from 19 attempts. But with Milner's game-time limited at Anfield - and with him set to leave in the summer - he can't be in the planning.

Despite not traditionally being a prolific goalscorer, Fabinho has displayed his penalty prowess. He's bagged three for the Reds last campaign as well as in the shootout triumphs over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals.

But Fabinho is heading towards 30 and how long he'll be at Anfield after his contract expires in 2026 remains to be seen.

In terms of Salah's heir apparent, it could just be Trent Alexander-Arnold. Based on Klopp's comments, he's already third-choice when it comes to spot-kicks, according to Klopp. Aged 24, Alexander-Arnold is seven years the junior of Salah and five of Fabinho. A boyhood Red, there's every chance he might follow in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher by becoming a one-club man in his career.

At Liverpool - and the Premier League - there might not be a cleaner striker of the ball. That's a chief attribute required for penalty-taking. Alexander-Arnold has never taken a regular spot-kick in his senior career - but did convert in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals - as well as the UEFA Super Cup triumph over Chelsea in 2019. Meanwhile, in his England youth days, he sent four home.

Phil Neal is Liverpool's most decorated player in history and was a lethal marksman from 12 yards, scoring in the 1977 European Cup final against Club Brugge and in the shootout against Roma in 1984. Neal was a right-back himself. That augurs well for Alexander-Arnold.