Liverpool could be without Mohamed Salah for longer than expected during the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, with the forward potentially missing a crucial Premier League fixture before the tournament even begins.
Egypt are hoping to call up Salah for a mid-December friendly ahead of AFCON, which could rule him out of Liverpool’s home clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on December 13.
That would be in addition to the fixtures he is already set to miss over the Christmas and New Year period.
The Pharaohs begin their AFCON campaign on December 22 against Zimbabwe in Agadir, meaning Salah is expected to be absent for Liverpool’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur two days earlier.
With the tournament running from December 21 to January 18, the third-highest scorer in the club’s history could be sidelined for up to six matches, depending on Egypt’s progress in Morocco.
Should Hossam Hassan’s side suffer an early group-stage exit, Salah might return in time for Liverpool’s New Year’s Day meeting with Leeds United.
However, a comeback for the trip to Fulham on January 4 is considered more realistic.
The prospect of Salah featuring in Egypt’s pre-tournament friendly against Nigeria on December 14 further complicates matters, raising the likelihood that he will also miss the match against Brighton the previous day.
With Liverpool struggling to defend their Premier League title after already suffering five defeats, any extended spell without their talisman would be a major setback for Arne Slot.
Talks between Liverpool and the Egyptian Football Association are ongoing as both sides attempt to reach a compromise ahead of a pivotal few weeks.
“We are still in contact with Liverpool and Manchester City (over Omar Marmoush) at the moment for this matter,” Egypt’s technical director Ibrahim Hassan told winwin.com.
The relationship between the club and the EFA is understood to be strong, and discussions continue as they work towards a solution.
Mohamed Salah is also on the three-man shortlist for the CAF Player of the Year award, which takes place on Wednesday in Rabat, Morocco.
Liverpool could grant him permission to attend the ceremony, where he faces competition from Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi, and Galatasaray’s Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, the 2023 winner.
The Liverpool forward, whose 29 Premier League goals fired the Reds to a 20th league title last season, has previously won the award twice, in 2017 and 2018.
A third triumph would move him within one of the record jointly held by Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Touré, who have each won the accolade four times.
Salah will also miss Egypt’s meeting with Cape Verde in the United Arab Emirates on Monday evening, with the national team confirming he is being rested.
Egypt said: “The Egyptian national football team, led by Hossam Hassan, held its training session in Al Ain in preparation for a friendly match against Cape Verde at 6pm on Monday – Cairo time – at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, UAE.
“The absence of the duo Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Hamdi Fathi from the Cape Verde match due to injury was also confirmed, and Salah Mohsen underwent recovery training, in addition to giving Mohamed Salah a rest, and his non-participation in the Cape Verde friendly.
“Tarek Abou El-Enein and Mohamed Abou Hussein, members of the board of directors of the Football Association, attended the training session of the Egyptian national team.”
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