Pep Lijnders was eager to stress two points in particular when discussing Mo Salah’s return to Liverpool to recuperate from the injury he suffered at the Africa Cup of Nations last week.
The 31-year-old’s participation in the tournament was brought to a sudden halt after he was forced off during Egypt’s 2-2 draw against Ghana, and the decision for him to return to his club drew criticism from many supporters in his homeland, as well as the country’s most-capped player Ahmed Hassan.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Jurgen Klopp’s assistant was emphatic in his backing of the forward’s commitment to his profession, saying: “The one you should never doubt the commitment of is Mo Salah. I never met a player but also a human being who’s more committed to the life of being a professional football player.”
Lijnders corroborated the three-to-four-week recovery timeline originally declared by Salah’s agent Rami Abbas on Monday and insisted that the medical departments of the 31-year-old’s club and national team collaboratively took the decision for him to return to Merseyside.
The Liverpool assistant manager said: “What I’m really happy about is that the medical team of Egypt and the medical team of Liverpool really worked together and were really in close contact, and they both made this decision.”
The 40-year-old’s declarations will hopefully put to bed any misconceptions from within Salah’s homeland that the Reds attacker is less than fully committed to his national team.
The rarity with which he’s missed games since joining LFC in 2017 highlights that he looks after himself commendably and can almost always be relied upon. As Lijnders also said in today’s press conference, the forward’s professionalism will likely enable him to get back into action sooner rather than later.
You can view the comments from Lijnders below, via @SkySportsPL on X (formerly Twitter):
"You should never doubt the commitment of Mo Salah" 💬
Pep Lijnders on Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah returning to the club for rehab after sustaining an injury during the Africa Cup of Nations tournament 👇pic.twitter.com/n6bd6VP1m5
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 23, 2024