Liverpool Has Requested That Egypt Exclude Mohamed Salah From Their Upcoming Squad

Liverpool Has Requested That Egypt Exclude Mohamed Salah From Their Upcoming Squad

Liverpool has made a request to the Egyptian Football Association to refrain from including Mohamed Salah in their upcoming international squad due to the winger’s recent injury issues.

The 31-year-old is currently sidelined with a thigh injury, which he aggravated during the Africa Cup of Nations in January. Salah returned to Liverpool for treatment during the tournament’s group stage, and although there was optimism that he might recover in time for the later rounds, Egypt was eliminated by DR Congo in the round of 16.

Despite making a strong comeback with a goal and an assist against Brentford on February 17, Salah suffered a muscle tweak during the match. As a result, he has been unavailable for selection by Jurgen Klopp for Liverpool’s last four matches, including their EFL Cup final triumph over Chelsea and their recent 1-0 victory against Nottingham Forest.

Salah is unlikely to make his return for Thursday’s Europa League last-16 first leg against Sparta Prague, but there’s optimism that he may be cleared to feature in the eagerly anticipated Premier League clash against Manchester City next weekend.

The first international break of 2024 is set for later this month, with Egypt scheduled to play New Zealand on March 22 and either Croatia or Tunisia on March 25/26 as part of the inaugural Winsunited Cup.

Initially, Egypt planned to include Salah in their squad for these matches. However, the Egyptian FA has disclosed that Liverpool has requested Salah’s exclusion from the squad due to concerns over his fitness.

Nevertheless, Egypt has stated that they reserve the right to include Salah in their squad if he makes a return to action for Liverpool before the international break. National team doctors will then conduct their own assessment during the domestic hiatus.

“We have already received a letter from Liverpool requesting Mohamed Salah’s exemption from the upcoming camp due to his injury,” the statement read. “We submitted Salah’s name among the professional players we are requesting to include in the next camp a few days ago.”

“It is within our authority to include any professional player as long as it aligns with the international schedule, and the decision regarding his inclusion rests with the technical staff of the national team, headed by Hossam Hassan.

“It is premature to make a definitive decision at this time. If Mohamed Salah participates in any match before the start of the camp, we will proceed with his inclusion. His readiness will be evaluated by the medical team of the Egyptian national team.”

Salah was among 10 Liverpool players who were unavailable for Saturday’s match against Nottingham Forest, joining Ryan Gravenberch, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, and Alisson Becker on the sidelines.

However, Andy Robertson, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Darwin Nunez all made their return at the City Ground, where Nunez scored an incredible 99th-minute winner, making it the 10th-latest Premier League goal on record.

Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table to four points on Saturday. However, Manchester City could reduce the gap to just one point if they defeat Manchester United in Sunday’s derby.