Salah injury reaction speaks volumes as Liverpool star spotted leaving stadium

19 January 2024 , 11:19

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Mohamed Salah suffered an injury as Egypt faced Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations (Image: AP)

Mohamed Salah was seen walking freely as he left the stadium after Egypt's draw with Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Salah was forced off in the first-half, with the forward replaced by Mostafa Fathi after suffering a suspected hamstring injury. The forward was consoled by his teammates as he left the pitch, sparking fears about his availability for both Egypt and Liverpool.

"We don't know yet what is the problem," manager Rui Vitoria said after the game. "I hope it is not a big problem. Now, I don't know because it is early to see something. I think it is not dangerous but let's see if Salah recovers."

And the injury does not appear to be as serious as first thought, with Salah pictured smiling as he walked out of the stadium. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp spoke with Salah overnight and the club could send over their medical team to work with the player depending on his diagnosis.

"We don't know anything," Klopp told reporters ahead of Liverpool's trip to Bournemouth on Sunday. "I spoke with him last night. These injuries need further assessment. In the moment it was a shock.

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"He felt it. We know how rarely Mo goes off so there is definitely something. We will see. It depends on the diagnosis. They'll do ultrasound and MRI and we will see."

The score was 0-0 when Salah was forced off, but ended 2-2 after Egypt came from behind to earn a point. West Ham star Mohammed Kudus twice gave Ghana the lead, before Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed equalised.

Salah was seen smiling and walking freely after the game

The result leaves Egypt second in their group, having also drawn 2-2 with Mozambique, and Vitoria said he was "incredibly proud" of his side's performance. "We delivered a strong performance against Ghana, especially in the second half," he said.

"We played to win, and I am incredibly proud of my players' performance and their fighting spirit. The team's performance has been improving from game to game, and we played well against a tough opponent like Ghana."

If Egypt can beat Cape Verde in their final group game, they will qualify for the knockouts and they are hoping to win the tournament for the first time since 2010. They finished runners-up at the last edition, losing 4-2 on penalties in the final to Senegal.

Matthew Cooper