AFCON: Setback For Egypt As Mo Salah Returns To Liverpool

Chances for the Pharaohs of Egypt to advance to the round 16 of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) have faced a major setback after a key player of the North African side, Mohammed Salah returned to England after suffering an injury during the country’s second group fixture against the Lions of Cameron.

Announcing the development in a post on Sunday, renowned football influencer Fabrizio Romano detailed that the decision was taken to allow Mo Salah to recuperate at Liverpool.

Naija News reports that Romano detailed that Klopp said that there are chances that the Liverpool skipper would return to Ivory Coast if he is fit before the competition ends.

“If he is fit before the final then probably he will go back to the AFCON,” Jurgen Klopp was quoted to have said.

The Egyptian Football Association has confirmed that their talismanic forward, Mohamed Salah, suffered a hamstring injury which will force him to miss two games in the 2023 AFCON.

Mohamed Salah sustained the said injury during their 2023 AFCON Group B match against Ghana, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Salah, who is one of the most influential players at Liverpool, was forced out of the AFCON game in the first half of the game, sparking fear of a lengthy absence from competitive football.

Earlier on Friday, Naija News reported that the manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has expressed shock over the injury sustained by Mohamed Salah and stressed that the club was yet to ascertain the severity of the injury.

But a statement from the Egyptian FA confirmed that Salah suffered a hamstring injury which would prevent him from playing in their last group stage game against Cape Verde.

Also, this means that if Egypt qualify for the round of 16 in the 2023 AFCON, the 31-year-old Salah wouldn’t be able to feature in the game.

A statement from the Egyptian FA reads: “Tests on Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egypt national team, proved that he suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next two matches of the team at the AFCON.”

They are currently sitting in the second spot in Group B, with two points, four points below first-placed Cape Verde. Hence, they are condemned to defeat Cape Verde on January 22 to guarantee their qualification to the next round.