Arne Slot has confirmed that Mohamed Salah will join up with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations on December 15.
The tournament runs from December 21 to January 18 in Morocco, with the Pharaohs drawn in a group alongside South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe.
This means Mohamed Salah will report for international duty after Liverpool’s home match against Brighton & Hove Albion later this month.
Slot told his pre-Sunderland press conference: “It’s the 15th of December, but as always in these situations there is a player involved, there is the nation involved – Egypt in this situation – and the club and there are always talks about what is best for all three of us.
“I think the way we’ve worked at this club – and I have worked in the past – is there is communication between all three: the player, the club and the country.
“That’s nothing new, it’s always the same. Also, when they come back, when they go. I think FIFA have said the 15th is the last date I assume a player has to be released.”
The forward was an unused substitute in Liverpool’s win over West Ham United on Sunday, as Slot made four changes to his starting lineup at the London Stadium.
When asked if Salah was disappointed to start on the bench, the head coach replied: “It’s a fair assumption and it’s a normal reaction from a player that is good enough to play for us – I say that mildly because he’s been so outstanding for this club for so many years and will be for us in the future.
“Of course, a player isn’t happy if he is not playing. He wasn’t the only one who was not happy he was not starting, I can tell you.
“That’s normal, but the way he behaved was as you would expect from the professional he is.
“He was very supportive of his teammates, handled himself really well during the day and yesterday in the session as well.
“You cannot be a player that’s available every three days and play at those high standards if you go with your emotions.
“For Mo, he’s so disciplined, knows what to do to stay fit and no matter if he plays well or doesn’t play well, if he plays or if he doesn’t play, he will always be a top professional – and that’s what he was in the last two days.”
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