Egypt have confirmed that Mohamed Salah will sit out their upcoming friendly against Liberia, and the Liverpool talisman now returns to Merseyside.
Salah scored twice in Egypt’s 3-0 win over Niger on Friday, and his side are now scheduled to take on Liberia at 7pm (BST) on Tuesday.
However, it has now been revealed that Liverpool are not. The world number 11 will not play any role in the match, after Egypt coach Rui Vitoria made the decision to release him from international duty early.
The news was confirmed on the Egyptian Football Associations Twitter page on Sunday night, with striker Mostafa Mohamed and defender Ahmed Fatouh also left out of the squad for Tuesday’s match.
“The coaching staff of the Egyptian national team preferred to rest Mohamed Salah and Mostafa Mohamed for the Liberian friendly after they both participated in the previous match against Niger,” the statement read.
Salah’s early release can only be a good thing for Liverpool, leaving them with plenty of time to prepare for the Reds’ Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday, the start of a spell that will see them play 13 games in the space of six weeks. .
Salah played the full 90 minutes against Niger on Friday, scoring on both sides of half-time, and also netted in Liverpool’s win over Ajax earlier this month, his last game before the international break.
Jurgen Klopp hopes his fine form in front of goal will put him in a good place heading into a vitally important stage of the season.
Like the entire team, they have struggled to find the best form so far this season, but their performance against the Dutch champions was certainly more encouraging.
Images emerged of Salah taking a photo with a newlywed couple at Egypt’s training base in Alexandria last week.
He is not the only senior Liverpool player to return early from international commitments, as Trent Alexander-Arnold was left out of England’s squad to face Germany on Monday.
