Mo Salah watched on as Egypt booked a dramatic route to the knockout rounds of AFCON and whilst cameras were pinned on the Egyptian King, updates on his fitness were being circled online.
First, his agent (Ramy Abbas Issa) took to social media to report: ‘Mohammed’s injury is more serious than first thought and he will be out for 21-28 days, and not 2 games. 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.’
Following this, Liverpool then made their own official statement too: ‘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.
READ MORE: (Video) The hidden meaning behind Nunez and Mac Allister’s Bournemouth celebration
‘The injury, which is worse than first feared, forced the forward from the field in the first half of the Africa Cup of Nations fixture with Ghana and an agreement has been reached with the Egyptian FA for Salah to undergo treatment in Liverpool.
‘Salah will immediately begin work with the club’s medical staff upon his return to Merseyside with a view to being back in action as soon as possible for club and country, giving him the best chance to return to compete at AFCON if Egypt, who qualified for the knockout stage with a 2-2 draw against Cape Verde tonight, continue to advance in the tournament.’
It’s testament to the level of status that our No.11 has, that his fitness concerns cause such big news and detailed updates from all corners of the globe.
The 31-year-old clearly has his eyes set on a potential return in the AFCON final but it’s a big ask for his nation to get all the way to the landmark event without him.
The 28 days from the date of the update takes us to the 19th of February, which is eight days after the final and the Reds play six times until that day too – meaning we could be without our ace marksman for a considerable amount of time.
We’ve shown against Bournemouth that we have enough to win without him in our side but we’re all praying for a speedy return that isn’t hampered by rushing for a game in Africa, that could only extend his absence rather than help it.
You can view Salah’s agent’s update via @RamyCol on X:
Mohammed’s injury is more serious than first thought and he will be out for 21-28 days, and not 2 games.
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 (@RamyCol) January 22, 2024
🕯️ EOTK Insider: A tribute to Alex South; a remarkable man with a special Kop moment