Mo Salah first Liverpool player called up for international duty in March

March 8, 2021
Joanna Durkan

Mohamed Salah has been called up to represent Egypt for their 2021 AFCON qualifiers in March, with the No. 11 not set to visit a country red-listed by the UK.

In mid-March, players from across world football will once again jet off around the world for international fixtures during an ongoing pandemic.

FIFA have offered an exemption, providing clubs with the right to refuse a call-up should certain circumstances come into play, such as an enforced quarantine of five or more days.

It is set to see the likes of Diogo Jota and Naby Keita held back on Merseyside after Jurgen Klopp voiced Liverpool’s intentions to deny their international departure.

Meanwhile, the Reds’ Brazilian contingent saw their fixtures postponed by the South American Football Federation as clubs made their intention to block call ups known.

But Salah is set to feature for Egypt when they meet both Kenya and Comoros in their 2021 AFCON qualifiers after his latest call-up, in what would be his first outing for his country in over 16 months.

The 28-year-old was forced to miss the November fixtures after testing positive for COVID-19.

This time around, Egypt will hope their star man can help secure their place in AFCON 2021 where they need only a draw away in Kenya or victory in their home tie against Comoros to do so.

And, thankfully, Salah is set to return to Merseyside at least five days before the trip to Arsenal when the Premier League returns from its break.

Qualification would mean Salah could miss a chunk of Liverpool’s 2021/22 season with the competition taking place in Cameroon in January of next year, with the final stages running into February.

He may not be the only absentee for Liverpool at that time, however, with Keita’s Guinea and Sadio Mane‘s Senegal both closing in on qualification.

Further international call ups for this month are expected in due course, which could include but is not limited to Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gini Wijnaldum, Thiago, Sadio Mane Neco Williams, Xherdan Shaqiri, Curtis Jones, Rhys Williams and Kostas Tsimikas.