Salah Faces Turbulent Build-Up to Crucial AFCON Campaign
Mohamed Salah’s preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations have taken an unexpectedly chaotic turn, with Egypt pushing for his early release while suffering a shock setback on the pitch.
The Egyptian Football Association has opened discussions with Liverpool in the hope of securing Salah for a warm-up match against Nigeria on 14 December, a day after the Reds face Brighton.
Should he join the camp early and Egypt progress deep into the tournament, the forward could miss as many as eight matches for his club.
On the field, Egypt’s build-up stuttered with a 2-0 defeat to Uzbekistan in Dubai, where Salah played the full match but struggled to influence proceedings.
Manager Hossam Hassan, frustrated by individual errors and a long list of absentees, stressed the need to learn from the setback, saying: “Individual mistakes caused the loss to Uzbekistan.”
Egypt now turn their attention to a third-place play-off against Cape Verde as they prepare for their AFCON opener against Zimbabwe on 22 December.
Salah, who is still chasing his country’s all-time scoring record, is expected to head to Morocco after Liverpool clashes with Brighton & Hove Albion, leaving the English Premier League side braced for a significant mid-season loss.
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