Mohamed Salah has provided a vague update on the hamstring injury suffered on Egypt duty, prompting speculation he could depart the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah is already confirmed to be missing Egypt’s final group game at AFCON after picking up an injury in the 2-2 draw with Ghana on Thursday.
The hamstring issue would also rule him out of a potential round-of-16 tie, the Egyptian FA confirmed.
That had implied that Salah’s setback was not serious, and that there could be hope of a return after the last 16 as Egypt vie to win the tournament.
However, in a press conference on Sunday, the 31-year-old explained: “There will be a joint statement between the national team and Liverpool regarding the injury today or tomorrow at the latest.”
That led news agency Reuters to speculate that Salah may instead return to Liverpool for treatment over an ongoing issue.
.@MoSalah ?? confirms he’s still injured and out of Monday’s match against Cape Verde ?? but trusts the rest of the squad to finish the job #AFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/K8kJZyqBDA
— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) January 21, 2024
“My injury is still there but the most important thing now is to speak about the game,” the forward continued.
“Our primary goal is to secure qualification for the next round, with skilled players, a good coach and a clear vision.
“We’re fully committed to giving our best in the tournament and we just need to fight and see what will happen.”
This could be interpreted as a marker of his faith in the Egypt squad – who will certainly be without their captain for the clash with Group B leaders Cape Verde on Monday – continuing in his absence.
It will remain up in the air until the expected statement from Liverpool and the EFA, while Jurgen Klopp could give further information during the broadcast of his side’s trip to Bournemouth.
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