January 22 – Mohamed Salah, arguably the highest profile player at the African Cup of Nations, is to return to Liverpool to receive treatment on a hamstring injury.
Salah sustained the injury last Thursday during the first half of his nation’s group-stage fixture against Ghana.
He is expected to miss Egypt’s next two matches, including tonight’s crucial Group B finale against Cape Verde.
“After additional examinations were conducted on Mohamed Salah during the last hours, and after communication between the national team’s medical staff and his counterpart at Liverpool FC, it was decided that the player will return to England after the Cape Verde match to complete his treatment, with the hope that he will join the national team in the semi-final of the AFCON if we qualify,” said an Egyptian FA statement.
Despite his injury and Egypt’s underwhelming start – they may well need to beat group winners Cape Verde, the smallest country at the finals, to reach the knockout stage pending the other game in the group – Salah, who has 96 caps, is still convinced he will win the tournament “sooner or later”.
The two-time African player of the year has never won the Afcon, coming closest at the last edition and in 2017 when Egypt, eight-time winners, lost in the final on both occasions.
Salah spoke to reporters on Sunday but did not offer more on his injury.
“My injury is still there but … our primary goal is to secure qualification for the next round.”
“I have won everything possible but not this one yet. It will happen somehow, that is what I believe, and whatever I believe I achieve, so sooner or later it will happen.
“Everybody knows what it means to any player to win an Africa Cup. We were unlucky at the last one and also in Gabon. The players are very motivated to win the tournament. We all want to win it.”
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