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Liverpool supporters are closely watching for updates on Mohamed Salah ahead of the club’s upcoming clash with Nottingham Forest, as the Egyptian FA has issued a statement addressing the forward’s current fitness and availability.
Salah will miss Egypt’s second friendly of the November break against Cape Verde, a decision Liverpool will see as a boost for the star’s fitness.
Salah played the full 90 minutes in Egypt’s 2-0 defeat to Uzbekistan in their first match of the Al Ain International Cup on Friday. That loss set up a third-place match against Cape Verde on Monday, and with several key players already absent, it had seemed likely that Liverpool’s No. 11 would feature again.
However, Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has opted to rest Salah, according to a statement from the Egyptian FA.
The statement said: The Egyptian national football team, under the guidance of Hossam Hassan, held a training session in Al Ain as they prepared for their friendly against Cape Verde, scheduled for 6pm Cairo time on Monday at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, UAE.
"The manager confirmed that Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Hamdi Fathi will miss the match due to injury. Salah Mohsen participated in recovery training, while Mohamed Salah was given a rest and will not feature in the Cape Verde friendly.
"Tarek Abou El-Enein and Mohamed Abou Hussein, members of the Egyptian Football Association’s board of directors, were also present at the team’s training session."
The 33-year-old is expected to remain with the Egyptian national team in Dubai despite not featuring in their next friendly, mirroring his absence during the October international break.
Last month, Salah scored twice in a 3-0 win over Djibouti to help secure Egypt’s place at next summer’s World Cup, before sitting out their dead-rubber qualifier against Guinea-Bissau. He is likely to watch from the stands on Monday, with the match serving as further preparation ahead of the winter Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah’s absence against is not expected to affect his availability for Liverpool, who host Nottingham Forest at Anfield next weekend. Instead, it could leave him well-rested for Saturday’s Premier League clash, where he is almost certain to make his 15th start of the season.
The Egyptian forward has struggled for form in recent months, scoring just two goals in his last 10 appearances, though both came in two of his last four matches. Arne Slot will also benefit from Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, and Federico Chiesa getting additional time to focus on their fitness, having been rested from international duty.
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