Egypt manager Ehab Galal has claimed that Mo Salah played through injury in their 1-0 win over Guinea, having “rejected Liverpool’s request” for a scan.
Egypt scraped to a 1-0 win at home to Guinea in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday evening, with both Salah and Naby Keita playing the full 90 minutes.
The high-profile clash came just over a week on from the Champions League final, which was Salah’s first start in a fortnight after suffering a groin injury during the FA Cup final.
Now, the 29-year-old is claimed to be carrying an injury that Liverpool were eager for him to have scanned prior to the current run of AFCON qualifiers.
But Galal, who took over from Carlos Queiroz in April, told reporters after the game that Salah “rejected” that request and “played through” the issue.
“Salah was suffering from an injury and played through it,” Galal is quoted by KingFut.
“He rejected Liverpool’s request for an X-ray before the game and will now undergo it.”
This is a worrying development that could suggest friction between Salah and Liverpool’s medical staff, though it would be remiss to read too much into Galal’s comments at this stage.
It was always likely that the No. 11 would be rushed back for the final games of the season for Liverpool, with Salah insistent on playing through the pain if required.
But his management through the next two games for Egypt – against Ethiopia (June 9) and South Korea (June 14) – could have an impact on his return to pre-season with Liverpool.
Hopefully, the injury is nothing serious and Salah can recover quickly, but playing 90 minutes with a fitness problem is never a good sign.
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