Egypt’s hopes of success at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon23) have taken a hit, with star player Mohamed Salah ruled out for at least two games. The Liverpool forward, who is widely regarded as one of the world’s best players, sustained an injury in their recent round 2 match against Ghana and will be out of action for some time. This is a huge blow for Egypt, who will be hoping to make a deep run in the tournament. Salah is their key player and one to watch out for.
Egypt and Liverpool supporters will breathe a sigh of release to read that a statement released on Friday confirms that Mohamed Salah’s injury is not thought to be serious.
The 31-year-old has suffered a back muscle strain, reports the Egyptian FA, rather than the more serious hamstring issue rumored online.
Salah was substituted in the first half of his nation’s 2-2 draw against Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations. The Liverpool forward pulled up shortly before the break and immediately signaled to the bench. However, the Egyptian FA had more positive news on Friday.
In a statement read: “The X-rays that Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egyptian national team, underwent showed that he suffered a strain in the posterior muscle.
“He will miss the team’s next two matches in the African Nations, against Cape Verde, and then the Round of 16 matches in the event of qualification.”
Egypt can guarantee passage to the knock-out rounds with a victory over Cape Verde in their final group stage game.
“Oh my God, what is it?” is a sentiment that reverberated around Merseyside on Thursday evening. They were also the exact words of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp when asked for his reaction to the news that Salah had suffered an injury.
“You couldn’t see that it was like [being] hit by something with high-intensity, you couldn’t see [that] and then going down, you have these kind of hamstring injuries differently but he still felt it and we all know how rarely Mo goes off or needs to go off so there is something and we will see,” Klopp continued.
No one is more aware of Mohamed Salah’s importance than Jurgen Klopp.
He certainly has a point. Aside from his incredible goal-scoring numbers, what truly sets Salah apart from the vast majority of his rivals is his availability. He is, with very few exceptions, always available for Klopp’s men.
In six-and-a-half years at the club, he has missed just ten games due to injury. In a system as high-intensity as Klopp’s Liverpool, in a team that regularly plays 50+ fixtures in a season, it is a truly astonishing record.
He is the undeniable leader for this Egypt side but will have to rely on his teammates to carry the burden in his absence. If they can get through the group and win their Round-of-16 tie, Salah should be fit enough to return to the fray in the latter stages
