2024-01-22T05:57:37+00:00
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/ The news of the return of Egyptian player Mohamed Salah to his club, Liverpool, to receive treatment for the injury he suffered in the Ghana match, sparked widespread controversy in football circles on social media.
The Egyptian Football Association announced today, Monday, that Mohamed Salah, captain of the injured national team, will attend the team’s final match against Cape Verde in the group stage of the African Cup of Nations, and then head to England to complete the rehabilitation program.
The Egyptian Federation said on its Facebook account, “After conducting additional tests on Mohamed Salah during the last hours and after communication between the national team’s medical staff and his counterpart at Liverpool FC, it was decided that the player will return to England after the Cape Verde match to complete his treatment.”
He added: “We hope that he will join the national team in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations, if we qualify.”
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said that it is logical for Salah to return to the club competing in the English Premier League to complete the rehabilitation program after his injury while participating in the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Liverpool striker suffered a muscle injury before the end of the first half in the second group match against Ghana last Thursday in Abidjan.
The Egyptian Football Association stated that it expects him to miss the next two matches if the team secures qualification for the knockout stage. In response to a question during a press conference following the quadruple win over Bournemouth on Sunday about the possibility of Salah returning to Merseyside, Klopp said in statements reported on the club’s website: “This is the plan. If this has been decided 100 percent, I do not know, but this is the plan. Whatever “The duration of his absence, I think everyone would probably think it would make sense for him to rehabilitate with us or with our team. That’s the plan.”
He continued, saying: “I spoke to him immediately after the match, almost the night the injury occurred. 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 could participate again with Egypt during the African Cup of Nations, Klopp said, “I am not a doctor. I would like to say that if Egypt qualifies for the final and he is ready before the final, then perhaps yes. Why not?”
Salah, who played 96 international matches, was part of the Egyptian team that lost to Cameroon in the final match of the 2017 African Cup of Nations in Gabon, and lost the title again in the last edition held in Cameroon two years ago, when Senegal prevailed on penalties.
Recently, rumors have spread accusing Mohamed Salah of escaping against Ghana and claiming injury. Hamada Anwar, Director of the National Teams Department at the Egyptian Football Association, responded regarding these rumours, and confirmed that Mohamed Salah is an important player in the Egyptian national team and that he is the one who led the team to reach the World Cup. Previously, he also stressed that Salah’s presence in the press conference for the Cape Verde match was the best response to rumors of his escape from the national team.
Anwar added: Mohamed Salah’s mentality is greater than these actions. He is one of the best players in the world, so how can he escape?
Anwar asks: We assume that Salah behaved against himself during the Ghana match, and participated in tomorrow’s match against Cape Verde. Will the fans say that he is a fighter and did not run away?