Mohamed Salah was granted the chance to pull out of Egypt’s squad early after Liverpool warned over a “slight injury he felt” ahead of a clash with Mauritania on an artificial pitch.
Liverpool’s No. 11 missed his country’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Mauritania on Tuesday due to a mix of playing surface and the threat of violent tackles.
His early return to Liverpool was confirmed on Saturday, giving him plenty of time to rest ahead of the return of domestic club action against Chelsea this weekend.
After the Pharaohs’ 1-0 win, manager Hossam Hassan explained that Liverpool’s medical team were involved in the discussions having offered a warning about a “slight injury.”
“I respected Salah’s request for rest following Liverpool’s medical team’s warning about a slight injury he felt,” he told reporters, via King Fut.
The areas of concern were Salah’s back and knee, which would have come under strain on the artificial surface in Mauritania.
“I prioritised Salah’s health and didn’t want to risk him, especially in these key qualifiers,” Hassan was quoted as saying by Ahram Online.
“I must support players and collaborate with their clubs to ensure their long-term fitness.”
Those words will be music to Liverpool’s ears, who will be confident that Salah’s best interests are being looked after when he does report for international duty.
He is fit, though, and will be ready to start his 10th game under Arne Slot against his former club at Anfield on Sunday.
Salah will not be the only first-team player with fresh legs as Virgil van Dijk left the Netherlands camp early after being shown a red card against Hungary in thier first game.
In another welcome boost, the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kostas Tsimikas, Caoimhin Kelleher, Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo all signed off on international duty by Monday evening.
It is not often that the Reds’ international players have more than a few days to prepare for their domestic return, but this is certainly an exception we would like to see more often.
In other international news, Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah both wore the captain’s armbands in their respective international matches and combined for a 12-0 win.
