The participation of Mohamed Salah in Liverpool’s upcoming matches, notably against Manchester City on Sunday in a crucial English Premier League clash, will determine whether he will be called up to the Egyptian national team during the next international break, according to an official at the Egyptian Football Federation, speaking to “France Press” on Wednesday.
Following his absence from Liverpool’s recent matches due to injury, notably missing the League Cup final against Chelsea, Salah has been summoned to join the “Pharaohs” for a camp starting on March 18th.
The camp will include participation in a friendly international tournament in the United Arab Emirates from March 22nd to 26th, featuring Croatia, Tunisia, and New Zealand.
However, Liverpool has officially written to the Egyptian Football Federation requesting exemption for the two-time African Player of the Year from joining the camp due to incomplete recovery from injury, as confirmed by the unnamed official at the Egyptian Federation.
Salah sustained a muscle injury against Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations in January and traveled days later to Liverpool for treatment.
Egypt’s national team was subsequently eliminated from the tournament in the round of 16 by the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Returning from injury in mid-February, Salah scored a goal and provided another in Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Brentford in the league.
However, the injury recurred, causing him to miss the recent matches for the Reds, who are preparing for a crucial game against Manchester City, the reigning champions and current league runners-up.
While Salah appeared in Liverpool’s training session on Wednesday ahead of their Europa League round of 16 clash with Sparta Prague on Thursday, the source stated, “The situation depends on Salah’s decision regarding his inclusion in Liverpool’s squad and participation in the match.
We are awaiting confirmation of his full recovery.”
The source continued, “In this case, the Egyptian Football Federation and the national team coaching staff will decide whether to call up Salah. If he is excluded from the match due to medical reasons, it will be clear.
It would be best for him to remain with his club to continue his treatment, with a detailed medical report sent to the national team medical staff to assess the extent of the injury and its treatment duration.”
This comes after reports suggesting tension between Salah and the new head coach of the Egyptian national team, Hossam Hassan, who replaced the dismissed Portuguese coach, Roy Vitoria.
Hassan criticized the 31-year-old player, stating that “if the decision were in his hands during the Africa Cup of Nations, he would not have brought Salah back to the national team if they reached the final.”
