Mohamed Salah could miss three more Liverpool games even if he doesn't reach AFCON final

Egypt will play at least two more games at the Africa Cup of Nations – even if it loses to Senegal in the semi-finals – with the third-place play-off and the final scheduled for next weekend

Mohamed Salah will not be back on Merseyside for at least another week(Image: AFP or licensors)

Egypt's win over Ivory Coast in the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations means that it is guaranteed to play two more games at the tournament.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah scored what proved to be Egypt's decisive third goal in a 3-2 win, setting up a semi-final meeting with Senegal in Tangier.

That game will take place on Jan. 14 – and even if Salah and Co fall at the semi-final stage, they will have to go again in a third-place play-off against the loser of the other semi-final between Nigeria and Morocco, which will take place on Jan. 15. The third-place play-off is scheduled for Jan. 17, while the final will take place on Jan. 18.

Salah is guaranteed to miss Liverpool's FA Cup third-round meeting with Barnsley on Monday as well as next weekend's Premier League meeting with Burnley, while it seems unlikely that he will be available for the Champions League meeting with Marseille on Jan. 21.

What's the latest on Salah at Liverpool?

Salah's ill-advised chat with reporters at Elland Road seems a long time ago now.

But it was only last month that he accused the Reds of throwing him under the bus this season, while also saying that he no longer had a relationship with Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.

A few days after that outburst, Salah was dropped from the Liverpool squad altogether for a Champions League trip to Inter Milan, but he found himself back in the squad for the following game against Brighton.

Slot said that it was an easy decision to restore the 33-year-old to the squad, suggesting that the pair have patched things up.

The legendary forward produced one of his brightest performances of a difficult season after coming on in the first half for the injured Joe Gomez.

However, although the situation has seemingly improved, we will not know just how sustainable it is until Salah returns from AFCON.

The Egyptian is not afraid of voicing his discontent, and if he continues to largely be used as a substitute upon his return to club action, there is a good chance that the storm will return.

Salah is contracted to Liverpool until 2027, but the prospect of a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia could loom large in 2026 if Salah fails to regain his place in the team as a regular starter.