Mohamed Salah told what to do with 'emotional weight' ahead of Egypt opener

Mohamed Salah should focus all of his negative energy on the Africa Cup of Nations, according to Shola Ameobi, who has commented on his current situation at Liverpool

Mohamed Salah has been advised to channel his Liverpool frustrations during the Africa Cup of Nations(Image: FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)

Former Nigeria and Premier League star Shola Ameobi has told Mohamed Salah to use the "emotional weight" he is carrying to his advantage at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Egypt will play its opening game against Zimbabwe on Monday, and Salah joined his international teammates after featuring in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brighton. Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admitted that the team missed Salah in Saturday's 2-1 win over Tottenham, despite benching him in four straight games.

The benching led to Salah slamming Slot and suggesting that he had been thrown "under the bus" at Liverpool, though he has since apologized to his teammates. Although the hostile situation appears to have passed, Ameobi believes that it could benefit Salah and Egypt during AFCON.

Egypt is the most successful nation in AFCON history, winning a record seven championships. However, Egypt hasn't won the tournament since 2010, and Salah has yet to experience international success.

Salah reached the final with Egypt in 2021, but they lost to Senegal as former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane celebrated victory. Egypt is one of the favorites for the tournament held in Morocco, although Salah hasn't been at his usual standard this season.

In an interview with Gameshub, Ameobi suggested that Salah could turn a negative situation into a positive outcome. "Mohamed Salah’s recent issues at Liverpool certainly doesn’t help Egypt," he said.

Shole Ameobi had a complicated career with Nigeria(Image: 2014 Getty Images)

"He’s Egypt’s greatest ever player, but when you have someone like him who isn’t firing on all cylinders, it’s going to be a big story going into the tournament. I think Salah will be carrying a lot of emotional weight on his shoulders when he lines up for Egypt, but sometimes you can use that to your advantage."

Ameobi also believes that Salah can cement his legacy with an international trophy, after already winning the greatest domestic and European honors with Liverpool. "If Egypt were to win AFCON it would cement his legacy," he added.

"You can still see the hunger in him even at his age and he remains one of the best players in the Premier League despite his form. Egypt’s ambition will be to go one step further than they did four years ago and win the whole tournament.

Salah will be aiming to win his first AFCON title with Egypt(Image: Getty Images)

"Once you make the final four, anything can happen. That’s what they will be trying to achieve.

"When you’ve got a player like Salah, who can change the game in an instant, just getting to the knockout stages will put them in a good position. Getting to the semi-finals should definitely be Egypt’s ambition to give them the past chance of having another brilliant tournament."

Egypt has been drawn into Group B alongside Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Angola. While Egypt is one of the favorites to win the competition, they fell at the Round of 16 stage during the previous tournament.

The outright favorite to win AFCON is Morocco, and the nation has the home advantage due to hosting the tournament. Morocco won its opening game on Sunday, defeating Comoros 2-0.