Egypt have confirmed that Mohamed Salah will play no part in their upcoming friendly against Liberia, with Liverpool’s talisman now returning to Merseyside.
Salah scored twice in Egypt’s 3-0 win over Niger on Friday, with his side now scheduled to take on Liberia at 7pm (BST) on Tuesday.
However, it’s now been revealed that Liverpool’s no. 11 will play no part in the match, after Egypt manager Rui Vitoria took the decision to release him from international duty early.
The news was confirmed on the Egyptian Football Associations’ Twitter page on Sunday evening, with forward Mostafa Mohamed and defender Ahmed Fatouh also left out of the squad for Tuesday’s fixture.
“The technical staff of the Egyptian national team preferred to rest Mohamed Salah and Mostafa Mohamed for the Liberia friendly after both took part in the previous match against Niger,” the statement read.
Salah’s early release can only be a good thing for Liverpool, leaving him with plenty of time to prepare for the Reds’ Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday, the start of a period that will see them play 13 games in the space of six weeks.
Salah played the full 90 minutes against Niger on Friday, scoring either side of half-time, having also netted in Liverpool’s win over Ajax earlier this month, their final game before the international break.
Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his good form in front of goal leaves him in a good place heading into a vitally important stage of the season.
Much like the entire team, he has struggled to find top form so far this season, but his performance against the Dutch champions was certainly more encouraging.
Footage emerged of Salah having a photo with a newlywed couple at Egypt’s training base in Alexandria last week.
He is not the only senior Liverpool player returning early from his international commitments, with Trent Alexander-Arnold left out of England’s squad to face Germany on Monday.
