Mohamed Salah (31) will leave the Egyptian national team and return to Liverpool. Under certain circumstances, however, he could fly back to the Ivory Coast
Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp said on Sunday after the 4-0 win at AFC Bournemouth that Salah will fly from the Ivory Coast to England to recover from his injury on the Mersey. “That’s the plan,” said Klopp. “As long as he can’t play, I think everyone sees that he should do the rehab with us and with our people.” However, nothing is set in stone yet.
Late on Sunday evening, Liverpool FC and the Egyptian Football Association then confirmed that Salah would leave the national team squad on Monday after the team’s final group game against Cape Verde and travel to Liverpool.
“Following further examinations over the last few hours and discussions between the national team and Liverpool FC medical departments, it has been decided that the player will return to England tomorrow after the match against Cape Verde to complete his treatment,” read a statement from the Egyptian federation. There is “hope that he will rejoin the national team for the semi-final if we qualify.”
The attacker suffered a hamstring strain in the back of his thigh during Egypt’s second group game at the Africa Cup against Ghana (2:2) on Thursday. According to the Egyptian association, he will miss “at least the next two games for the national team” as a result. Klopp said that he had spoken to Salah immediately after his injury and that the 31-year-old striker had been in contact with the team doctor ever since.
Egypt, the record winners of the Africa Cup, have just two points after two games and will play their final group game on Monday evening – without Salah – against surprise group winners Cape Verde. Egypt would then play a possible round of 16 match between January 27 and 29. It was already clear that Salah would be absent for these two matches. Now it is also clear from the announcement that the team’s star would also miss a possible quarter-final. The semi-finals, in which Salah could be involved again, will take place on February 7.
