Mohamed Salah, the winger for Liverpool and Egypt, seems to have a less severe hamstring injury than initially anticipated. There is optimism that he may still participate in the later stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.
During Thursday evening’s group stage match against Ghana, the 31-year-old was forced to exit just before half-time.
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He clutched the back of his left leg and limped off the field, visibly emotional as he handed over the captain’s armband.
Concerns arose that this injury might prematurely end his tournament and potentially lead to a prolonged absence affecting Liverpool.
However, the Egyptian Football Association has issued a statement assuring that Salah’s injury is only a strain. They expect him to recover in time for the quarter-finals starting in February, provided the team advances.
‘Mohamed Salah has suffered a strain and will miss two matches in the Africa Cup of Nations,’ read the statement.
‘The X-rays showed that he suffered a strain in the posterior muscle [hamstring] and he will miss the team’s next two matches against Cape Verde and then the round of 16 match in the event of qualification.’
Egypt has secured draws in their initial two matches of the competition, facing off against Mozambique and Ghana.
To advance to the knockout stages, they likely need a victory against Cape Verde on Monday, who have already qualified. However, this task becomes more challenging as they will be without their captain and top player.
The round-of-16 matches are scheduled between January 27-30, followed by the quarter-finals on February 2/3.
For Liverpool, this development is positive, indicating that Salah could potentially be ready to face Arsenal in the Premier League on February 4 if Egypt fails to progress to the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations. In such a scenario, he would stay in Ivory Coast for the tournament.
Liverpool also faces a significant match against Chelsea on January 31, and the likelihood of Salah’s participation in that game remains uncertain, contingent on Egypt’s elimination.
Asked about Salah’s injury at a press conference on Friday, Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp said: ‘We don’t know anything, I spoke with him last night with him on how it is.
‘Further assessment is what they are doing now. It was a moment of shock. You could see he was hit with something high intensity.
‘You have these kind of injuries and we know how rarely he needs to go off. So it’s definitely something. So we will see. But I don’t know any information more.’
