Former Arsenal star Lauren has challenged Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to surpass Didier Drogba as the greatest African to play in the Premier League.

Egypt international Salah, who struggled previously at Chelsea, has hit the ground running for Jurgen Klopp's men, netting nine times in the league already this season.

But Lauren, a former Cameroon international, believes the winger will struggle to match the achievements of Drogba in England – the Ivorian having scored 104 times in the top flight for Chelsea.

"[Salah] could be [the best] – he's still young and he's playing with such a great team in Liverpool," Lauren told Omnisport. "He could be, why not?

"We've had some great players like [Tony] Yeboah and [Andre] Ayew. Drogba did a lot. To be honest, I have some doubts that he can pass Drogba. He was one of the best African players in the Premier League.

"To pass that is difficult, but we'll see. Time will tell us, but at the moment I'm sticking with Drogba. I think he's one of the best African players to have played in the Premier League."

Salah and Liverpool face Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday.