Egypt have released an official statement confirming Mohamed Salah will not play against Cape Verde, giving Liverpool a timely fitness boost ahead of their Premier League return.
Liverpool have been given a significant and much-needed boost from Mohamed Salah, with Egypt confirming that the forward will not feature in their final match of the current international window.
For Arne Slot, it is the kind of decision he will have quietly hoped for.
The last month has been one of the most turbulent periods of Liverpool’s season so far. Five defeats in six Premier League games have hammered home the reality of a side searching for rhythm, cohesion and confidence.
Slot, still attempting to imprint his ideas on a group stacked with quality but short on fluency, is desperate for something or someone to spark a reset after the international break.
And in Salah, he may just get that.
The 33-year-old has not consistently hit the heights he reached so effortlessly last season. While his numbers are far from poor four goals and two assists in the league.
Liverpool’s talisman has often found himself pushed to the fringes of matches, unable to exert the same influence he once did.
Slot needs Salah fully firing again, and Salah, it seems, has chosen to give his club manager the best possible chance of getting him back to peak form.
Salah played the full 90 minutes in Egypt’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Uzbekistan in the semi-finals of the Al Ain International Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The loss meant the Pharaohs missed out on a final meeting with Iran, instead dropping into a third-place play-off with Cape Verde on Monday.
However, Egypt have now confirmed that Salah will play no part in that fixture. The Egyptian FA issued an official statement on Saturday night, outlining the decision in detail and stressing that the Liverpool forward will be given a rest rather than carrying any injury concern.
The statement read:
“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.”
The club have not intervened publicly, but any opportunity for Salah to recover, reset and recharge ahead of a pivotal stretch of the domestic campaign will be considered welcome news.
Salah’s absence from the Cape Verde fixture means he will return to Merseyside fully refreshed before Liverpool face Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday 22 November. Slot is expected to name him in the starting XI as the forward builds towards his 15th appearance of the season.
His form remains a concern: just two goals in his last 10 appearances though both arriving recently underline a player still searching for his sharpest edge. But the signs of improvement have been there in flashes.
Salah is set to captain Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, beginning December 21. Egypt have been drawn in Group B alongside South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe.
The consequences for Liverpool are significant. At a minimum, Salah will miss three matches but should Egypt reach the final on January 18 in Rabat, he could be absent for up to eight games, including major away trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
A fully refreshed Salah returning early from international duty represents a rare bright spot in what has been a challenging period.
