"Salah is as significant as Neymar in Brazil"

Liverpool could be set to lose their top goalscorer at crucial points next year, due to international duty pulling the Egyptian striker from the Premier League.

Mo Salah is preparing for his seventh season with the Reds, and the club have their eyes on returning to the top four, after inconsistent performances in 2022-23 saw them finish 5th. However, they'll need their squad to be at their best all season if they're to compete with treble-winning Manchester City.

This could be put in jeopardy, as their star striker looks like he will miss out on a month of games to play with Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off on January 13th, with the final set for February 11th, almost a month later.

AFCON is not the only gap in Salah's calendar, as he is also very likely to get called up for the Paris Olympics, which take place between July 26th and August 11th, and would see him miss 2024-25's pre-season with the Reds, who hope they'll be preparing for the Champions League.

Rogerio Micale, who will lead the Egyptian squad at the Olympics said to 'Ahram Online' he is doing his "best to choose the young players who will participate in the upcoming Olympics", and although he still has a year to "evaluate" his squad, they would "welcome Salah… Salah is as significant as Neymar in Brazil".

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has been vocally critical of the packed footballing calendar, which doesn't give players enough time to rest, when taking into account international breaks. The club may therefore try to block the call-up.

 

July 10, 2023