Mohammed Salah’s agent has confirmed that the Egyptian player’s injury is more serious than previously thought, sidelining him for three to four weeks. As a result, it appears that Salah’s time at the Africa Cup of Nations is officially over.
“His best chance at participating in the current AFCON is by undergoing intensive rehabilitation in the UK and rejoining the team as soon as he is fit”, Ramy Abbas Issa wrote Monday.
Following the national team’s final Africa Cup group match against Cape Verde on Monday, Salah will be departing from the rest of the squad and going back to Liverpool for recovery, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Football Association.
Egypt needed a win, In order to guarantee their place in the knockout stages.
Mohammed Salah with substituted in the first half of the game against Ghana on Thursday, which ended in a 2-2 stalemate, with the Egyptian Federation confirming he had a muscle injury. It was reported Salah would miss the final group game and the round of 16 if the Pharaohs were to advance. But now with the latest news, the Liverpool talisman is said to even miss the entirety of the tournament.
Abbas said via X: “Mohammed´s injury is more serious than first thought and he will be out for 21-28 days, and not 2 games.”
Salah stated on Sunday that he remains certain that he will eventually win the Africa Cup of Nations “sooner or later.”
Liverpool legend Graeme Souness if of the opinion that Klopp should not allow Salah join up with Egypt, even if he is fit enough to still play a part.
He told talkSPORT: “Jurgen Klopp is employed by Liverpool, and his job is to do the very best for the football club.”
“For Liverpool, they need to get Salah back and fit, and then he does not go back to Africa.”
“He is playing the game there, Jurgen; he has to do it, making all the right noises. It is the classic thing of club against country.”
“Hamstrings are the worst injuries; that is the injury that players hate. The great Bob Paisley would say that is a six-weeker or eight-weeker when you talk about hamstrings. I only had one in my life because I was never accused of being a sprinter.”
“What they can do to you is you have your rest period, two weeks or three weeks, you come back and train a couple of weeks, and then say you’re ready.”
“Then ten minutes into a game, you go whack and it goes again, so they are the injuries that really confuse a player and medics, as you don’t know whether it is 100 per cent.”
