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Mohamed Salah will be making his way to Morocco today with his Liverpool future still up in the air as he prepares for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations.
He of course heads to the tournament with the backdrop of his uncertain future back at Anfield following his outburst against the club and Arne Slot recently. Although he made a return to the squad against Brighton at the weekend following showdown talks with the Reds' head coach, discussions are set to continue with his representatives about his next steps.
Salah had suggested the game against Brighton could be his final appearance for Liverpool, although the winger didn't give anything away at full-time on Saturday. In any case, he is certain to miss the next few games for Liverpool as he heads off for international duty.
Egyptian national team director Ibrahim Hassan had wanted Salah to link up with his international teammates earlier than anticipated this winter ahead of AFCON. The tournament in Morocco is set to run from December 21 to January 18, though Egypt may not go all the way to the final.
Hassan revealed last month that discussions were ongoing with Liverpool and Manchester City to determine the status of Salah and Omar Marmoush for a friendly against Nigeria on December 14. "We are still in contact with Liverpool and Manchester City at the moment regarding this matter," he confirmed to WinWin.
However, Slot confirmed that Salah would head off on December 15, having come off the bench against Brighton on Saturday.
Salah is likely to miss home Premier League games versus Wolves and Leeds games and visits to Tottenham, Fulham and Arsenal.
That game at the Emirates could still be important in the title race, though the Reds are currently trailing Arsenal by 10 points.
If Egypt goes deep into the tournament, Salah might also end up missing games with Burnley and Marseille. He could have missed a potential Carabao Cup semi-final before Liverpool was knocked out by Crystal Palace.
He would be unlikely to feature in the FA Cup third round against Barnsley as well, but that falls early in 2026 as well. That means Salah could miss eight Liverpool games in total.
Jeremie Frimpong was signed in part because of his ability to play on the right wing. He didn't leave much in the way of an impression against Galatasaray earlier this season when he stepped in for Salah, though.
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Frimpong has also been sidelined with an injury for much of the season but could return to action soon. Federico Chiesa can also play in that position but he has been almost exclusively used off the bench.
Florian Wirtz has been showing signs that he is getting himself up to speed with the Premier League, while Hugo Ekitike continues to impress after another two goals against Brighton, although Alexander Isak still looks to be struggling following his record-breaking transfer.
Salah leaving for a period is not news to Liverpool and it will have an idea of how to combat it. Even though he hasn't been in the best form so far this season, he will still be a significant miss.
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