According to his management, Mohamed Salah’s muscle injury is “more serious than first thought” and might sideline the Liverpool attacker for almost a month.
The 31-year-old was playing for Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations when Liverpool announced on Sunday that he will be returning from the Ivory Coast to receive treatment. If the Pharaohs advanced to the competition’s knockout rounds, he intended to rejoin them.
That hopeful strategy now appears to have suffered a major setback, at least according to Ramy Abbas Issa.
The agency posted on X, the former Twitter platform, saying that Mohamed’s injury was more serious than initially believed and that he will miss 21–28 days instead of two games.
“He has the best chance of playing in the current AFCON by recovering fully in the UK and then joining the team as soon as he’s fit.”
Salah, who watched Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Cape Verde and their advancement to the round of 16 as spectators, will return to Merseyside on Wednesday, Liverpool later disclosed.
The team promises to give him every opportunity to return for the remaining AFCON phases, should Egypt advance.
According to a statement on the team website, “Mohamed Salah will return to the AXA Training Centre on Wednesday to begin an intensive rehabilitation programme with Liverpool’s medical team on the muscle injury he sustained with Egypt last week.”
The attacker was forced off the pitch in the first half of the Africa Cup of Nations match against Ghana due to an injury that was worse than initially thought. Salah and the Egyptian FA have come to an arrangement for Salah to receive treatment in Liverpool.
In order to get back into action as soon as possible for both club and country, Salah will start working with the medical staff of the club as soon as he returns to Merseyside. This will give him the best chance to compete at the AFCON should Egypt, who advanced to the knockout stage with a 2-2 draw against Cape Verde tonight, continue to advance in the competition.
In the absence of their talisman, Premier League leaders Liverpool first found it difficult to create during their match at Bournemouth on Sunday. However, a decisive 4-0 victory secured by second-half doubles from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota allowed them to go five points clear at the top.
After the Reds’ triumph at the Vitality Stadium, manager Jurgen Klopp stated that Salah’s decision to return to Merseyside from the tournament “makes sense.”
The German stated, “That’s the plan,” prior to the announcement being verified. “I’m not sure if that has been settled 100% in advance. Yet that’s the strategy.
“No matter how long he’s been out, this is probably how everyone sees it, so it makes sense that he’s in rehab with us or our people.” I’m not sure if that’s already set in stone.
“The night it happened, I had a conversation with him just after. He has been in contact with our doctor ever since. I believe he’ll return.
