Mohamed Salah earliest return date from AFCON as Liverpool could get Arsenal boost

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Mohamed Salah and Egypt have secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations, and in the process given Liverpool a better idea of when he could return to Anfield

Mohamed Salah and Egypt have secured their progress to the last-16 at AFCON(Image: Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah and Egypt have safely navigated the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations, and will be eyeing up the country’s first continental title since 2010.

The Liverpool star is aiming to win AFCON for the first time in his career, having previously made it to the final in 2017 and 2021, and he has already made a big impact on this year’s tournament, having scored the winner in both of Egypt’s opening games against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Having secured the Pharaohs’ safe passage through to the last-16, Salah was rested for the final group game against Angola, with his country’s path to the final already set in stone ahead of kick-off.

Egypt had already secured top spot in Group B before its final group game, thanks to its head-to-head record against South Africa - the only side that could move level on points with it ahead of kick-off.

The Pharaohs’ last-16 date is therefore already decided - they will play their next game on January 5, with their opponent yet to be confirmed, although they know they will face one of the third-placed teams from the group stages.

That means Salah will miss at least two more games for Liverpool - the upcoming fixtures against Leeds on January 1 and Fulham on January 4. Should Egypt fall at the first hurdle in the knockout stages though, he could return to the UK in time for the Reds’ game against Arsenal on January 8.

Mohamed Salah was named on the bench for Egypt's final AFCON group game (Image: Getty Images)

If Egypt goes through to the quarter-finals, it will play on January 10, which would of course mean Salah missing that game against Arsenal. The FA Cup tie against Barnsley on January 12 might also come too soon for him, but he would be back in contention to face Burnley on January 17 should the Pharaohs go out at that stage.

Should Egypt reach the semi-finals, then that Burnley game will also be written off for Salah. Although the last-four games take place on January 14, AFCON has a third-place play-off on January 17, meaning the Liverpool ace would have to stay in Morocco even if his team doesn’t reach the final on January 18.

The next game for the Reds after that is against Marseille in the Champions League on January 21. Salah’s availability for that game would likely depend on whether Egypt goes on to win the tournament, and whether he’s involved in any celebrations thereafter.

If he is unavailable to face Marseille, then his first game back could be against Bournemouth on January 24 - assuming he does end up playing for Liverpool again.

The Reds’ sporting director Richard Hughes is expected to speak to Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas about his future while he’s away on international duty. The winger’s future at Anfield remains uncertain following his outburst earlier this month, in which he suggested he may have played his final game for the club against Brighton.

Subsequent reports though have suggested that Salah is set to stay at Liverpool beyond January, with Alexander Isak's injury increasing the club's need for attacking options.