Mohamed Salah could potentially return to action this weekend after suffering a hamstring injury at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Following the end of the group stages, the Liverpool forward returned to Merseyside for treatment after suffering the setback in Egypt’s second group match against Ghana on January 18. The 31-year-old faced intense criticism in his native country as a result of this choice, even though Ramy Abbas Issa, Salah’s agent, later disclosed that the injury was more serious than first thought and would require 21 to 28 days to heal.
Such a time-scale would have left the Egypt captain facing a race against time to be fit in time for the AFCON final on February 11, with a 21-day absence sidelining him until February 8 – the day after the tournament’s semi-finals. The Pharaohs’ round-of-16 exit would ultimately make the matter moot.
Remaining on Merseyside, it is possible that Salah could be fit to return for Liverpool’s home clash with Burnley on Saturday. However, if his enforced absence does extend to 28 days, a comeback will have to wait until February 17 when the Reds travel to Brentford.
But despite Salah being ruled out for three to four weeks, that didn’t stop him from being slammed in his homeland, with two of Egypt’s biggest legends hitting out at his ‘abandonment’.
The Pharaohs’ record appearance maker Ahmed Hassan would insist that Salah ‘should stay with the team no matter what’. Meanwhile, record goalscorer Hossam Hassan revealed he would have banished Salah from the camp if the forward had asked to return to Liverpool, adamant that it was the wrong decision.
“If Salah feels he wants to travel, he should travel and not return to the national team again because the injury is not severe,” he said, quoted by KingFut. “He needs physiotherapy which is available with the national team.
“A hamstring injury does not require extensive facilities in Liverpool. Big clubs always send doctors and physical therapists with top players to these tournaments, and in Liverpool, they know if Salah needs something, they will send doctors to him.
“Salah, with his great value, should continue with the national team both morally and psychologically. It affects other teams that he can participate at any time, but his departure will affect Egypt negatively and the opponents positively.
“If I was the Egypt manager and he told me his desire to travel to Liverpool, I would tell him to continue there, and we have capable men in the national team.
“Salah is one of the best individuals who have achieved accomplishments for Egypt globally, but the national team is a red line for anyone. Even if you are injured and cannot play, you have a significant role from both a technical and moral perspective.”
He continued: “Even if we lose the final, all players have exerted effort, and I don’t want to make grand statements.
“I say it is an honour for anyone to be present in the Egyptian national team camp. He is a very important player, and now it is the responsibility of the coaching staff to prepare the remaining players.
“We do not attack Salah, he is a legend outside Egypt. However, the decision for his treatment in Liverpool is wrong.”
But while Jurgen Klopp, Pepijn Lijnders and his agent, Ramy Abbas, were quick to defend Salah and call out those questioning the decisions of the Egypt captain., the Liverpool talisman could now be set for an awkward meeting after Hossam Hassan was appointed as Egypt’s new manager – just weeks after his public criticism of Salah.
Named Pharaohs captain in September 2019, it remains to be seen if his new international manager intends to persist with Salah as his skipper. It admittedly seems unlikely that he would drop the forward though, despite Hassan’s previous claim he would have insisted Salah not return to AFCON had he been manager.
However, it will be fascinating to see how easily the pair can clear the air so soon after the new Egypt manager had publicly slammed the Pharaohs’ best player.
