Liverpool have made a request to the Egyptian FA for Mohamed Salah to be excluded from this month’s internationals, but they will not do so should he play between now and then.
The Egypt captain returned to Merseyside during his team’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign after injuring his hamstring, and a setback on return at Brentford saw him back in the treatment room.
On Friday, Jurgen Klopp explained that Salah is not “too far off” from making a return, with “next week, at any point” a possibility – though, he didn’t deliver those lines with a lot of conviction.
There are four games left until the March international, to which Salah has been called up for by Egypt.
They are competing in a friendly tournament in the UAE – can we underline friendly there – and thus Liverpool, understandably, asked for Salah to be exempt.
Liverpool sent a letter to the Egyptian FA noting the fears of Salah aggravating his injury, irrespective of if he returns at club level before the break or not.
And they may not be surprised by the response they’ve received via a statement from the Egyptian FA, which reads: “We have already received a letter from Liverpool to exempt Mohamed Salah from the upcoming camp due to his injury.
“We sent the name of Mohamed Salah among the professional players that we are requesting to include in the next camp a few days ago.
“It is our right to include any professional player as long as it is at the time of the international agenda, and the issue of whether or not to include him is in the hands of the national team’s technical staff, led by manager Hossam Hassan.
“It is still too early to decide the matter, and if Mohamed Salah plays any match in the time before the start of the camp, we will adhere to his inclusion, and he will be examined and his readiness determined by the medical staff of the Egyptian national team.”
It is staggering to see how Salah is treated by Egypt, and let’s not forget their new manager, Hossam Hassan, was one of the loudest voices to criticise the 31-year-old’s return to Liverpool for treatment earlier this year.
