The Egyptian Football Association announced today, Sunday, that the injured national team captain Mohamed Salah will attend the team’s final group stage match against Cape Verde in the Africa Cup of Nations tomorrow, Monday. He will then head to England to continue his rehabilitation program.
The Egyptian FA stated on its
Facebook account, 'After undergoing further medical assessments in the last few hours and after communication between the national team's medical staff and their Liverpool counterparts, it has been decided that the player will return to England following the Cape Verde match tomorrow to complete his treatment.'
'We hope that he will be able to join the team for the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations if we qualify,' the association added.
Earlier in the day, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp stated it would be logical for Salah to return to the Premier League club to continue his rehabilitation following his injury at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
The Liverpool striker suffered a muscular injury before the end of the first half in the group stage match against Ghana last Thursday in Abidjan.
The Egyptian FA expects him to miss the following two matches if the team secures qualification to the knockout stages.
In response to a question during a press conference after Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth today regarding the possibility of Salah’s return to Merseyside, Klopp said in comments reported on the club's website, 'That is the plan. Whether that has been decided 100%, I don't know, but that is the plan.'
'Whatever the length of his absence, I think it is clear that it makes sense for him to do his rehabilitation with us, or our team. That is the plan,' he added.
'I spoke to him directly after the match on the night he got injured. Since then, he has been in contact with our doctor. The doctor informed me of the news, so I think he will return.'
Regarding whether Salah might play again with Egypt during the Africa Cup of Nations, Klopp commented, 'I am not a doctor. I would like to say that if Egypt reaches the final and he is ready before then, why not?'
Salah, who has 96 international caps, was a part of the Egypt squad that lost to Cameroon in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final in Gabon. He again missed out on the title in the last edition, held in Cameroon two years ago, when Senegal prevailed in the penalty shoot-out."