Mo Salah could soon be at the center of a tug-of-war between Liverpool and Egypt.
The 33-year-old is set to miss Liverpool’s festive fixtures due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), running from 21 December to 18 January. Egypt are expected to be strong contenders in Morocco. Reports from his homeland last week suggested that national team coach Hossam Hassan wants his squad to begin preparations two weeks before the tournament, potentially affecting Salah’s availability for the Reds even further.
According to Lewis Steele’s latest Liverpool Confidential update for Mail Sport, Salah is scheduled to meet with Hassan next week to discuss the most suitable solution for all parties.
Hassan has the right to call up the winger two weeks before AFCON, which could see him miss Liverpool’s Champions League trip to Inter Milan on 9 December and the Premier League home match against Brighton four days later. Salah reportedly prefers to stay with Liverpool for those games before joining the national team, especially with the Reds now free midweek following their Carabao Cup exit.
Ideally for Liverpool, Salah would remain for the Inter and Brighton matches, and Egypt could face an early group stage exit, allowing him to return as soon as the New Year’s Day clash with Leeds. However, if he joins Egypt for the full training camp and they progress to the semi-finals or beyond, he could miss up to eight games, including tough away fixtures at Tottenham and Arsenal.
This will be the third time Salah has departed mid-season for AFCON. While his previous outing four years ago caused no issues, his early return to Liverpool due to injury in the 2023 edition (held in January 2024) frustrated Egyptian fans. That injury also hindered his performance for the rest of the season and contributed to Liverpool’s fading title hopes, a scenario Arne Slot will hope to avoid this time.
With Salah seemingly keen to delay joining the Egypt squad as long as possible, it remains to be seen whether Hassan will accommodate his star player, allowing for a mutually agreeable compromise
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