Mohamed Salah will miss the next two games at AFCON, should he get the opportunity, due to a hamstring injury, the Egypt national team have now confirmed.
It is a very rare occurrence that Salah is forced to miss a match due to injury, so much so that the last time was back in 2019.
But he will now have to watch patiently on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury on Thursday while playing for his country at the Africa Cup of Nations.
In a statement released by the Egyptian FA, they confirm Salah’s injury and the projected timeline.
It reads: “The X-rays that Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egyptian national team, underwent, showed that he suffered a hamstring strain.
“And he will miss the team’s next two matches in the Africa Cup of Nations against Cape Verde, and then the round of 16 match in the event of qualification.”
The 31-year-old will definitely miss Egypt’s final group game on Monday and the last 16 tie, which takes place at the end of the month, should his side progress.
Egypt are currently second in their group and will know a victory in their third and final group game will guarantee their passage into the knockouts, though they could also qualify as one of the best third-place teams.
A lot rests on the outcome of the final group game, but with a prognosis of at least two games out – which will equate to just over a week – Salah could be available for Liverpool against Chelsea on January 31 if his side exit the competition.
The positives to take, irrespective of how far Egypt progress, is that the hamstring injury does not appear to be too serious for the 31-year-old.
It will now be a case of patiently waiting to see how he recovers and how far Egypt progress before we get a better picture as to his Liverpool return.
