Mohamed Salah has played his last game for Liverpool but will be fit for the World Cup, according to Egypt’s national team director Ibrahim Hassan.
Salah limped out of the Reds’ 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday clutching his left hamstring, sparking fears he could be set for a long spell on the sidelines.
And Hassan appeared to confirm the worst today, telling Reuters: “He has suffered a hamstring tear and will require four weeks of treatment.”
Given he will also need to regain match sharpness, it seems highly unlikely he will be ready for Liverpool’s final game of the Premier League season, against Brentford at Anfield on May 24. Even if he is close, the thought of an emotional send-off is likely to be offset against the potential for a re-occurrence and jeopardising his participation in the summer showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Salah announced last month he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, despite signing a two-year extension 12 months ago.
If that was his final game for Liverpool, he will leave as one of the club’s greatest-ever players.
The 33-year-old, who joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017, has made 440 appearances, scoring 257 goals and adding 122 assists. He has won nine trophies over that period.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitted after the win over Palace that Salah would struggle to make it back.
He said: “We don’t know. That is the best answer I can give. There might be a chance but we simply don’t know. What we do know is that the season is over in four or five weeks so there are not a lot of games and we have to wait and see how.
“But Mo has taken such good care of his body all these years that he will have the minimum time required to recover. Let’s hope for the best.”
Salah decision on next club expected ‘in a few days’
Salah’s next club remains a mystery but Muhammad Murad, the media co-ordinator for the Egyptian national team, told On Sport that fans shouldn’t have long to wait, saying: “There are news stories being written about him having offers from Italy and France and other big teams in the world – this is, of course, true, he is a big star and would be a big addition to any team.
“Whichever team Salah picks, we will support him – he [also] has offers from Saudi Arabia. I think in a few days he will announce his next destination.”
Salah will hope to be fit and firing by the time the World Cup starts in June. Egypt open their Group G campaign against Belgium on June 15 before games against New Zealand on June 22 and Iran on June 27.
