Mohamed Salah’s agent says the player’s injury is more serious than previously stated and that the Liverpool star will be out for three to four weeks – which would rule out a return to the Africa Cup of Nations for Egypt.
“His best chance at participating in the current AFCON is by undergoing intensive rehabilitation in the UK and rejoining the team as soon as he is fit,” Ramy Abbas Issa wrote Monday on X, formerly Twitter.
The Egyptian Football Association had already said that Salah would be leaving the rest of the national team squad and returning to Liverpool for rehabilitation after its final Africa Cup group game against Cape Verde on Monday. Egypt later Monday drew 2-2 with Cape Verde and advanced in second place from its group to the knockout stage.
Salah was forced off during the first half of Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Ghana on Thursday with what the Egyptian federation later said was a muscle injury. It had said Salah would miss Egypt’s next two games at the tournament – Monday’s final group game and the last 16 match if the Pharaohs reached it.
But Abbas said this was an optimistic assessment.
“Mohammed’s injury is more serious than first thought and he will be out for 21-28 days, and not 2 games,” the agent wrote on X.
On Sunday, Salah said he is still convinced he will finally win the Africa Cup “sooner or later.”