11 March 2024 , 19:47
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Mohamed Salah pushed for Egypt to leave him out of their squad for the upcoming international break.
Egypt face New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in two weeks, with a further game against either Tunisia or Croatia also planned. The break comes two months after their disappointing performance in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Pharaohs were knocked out at the last 16 stage by DR Congo, with Salah having been injured in their opening group game. The attacker flew back to Liverpool for treatment on the injury, in the hope he may be able to return if Egypt made the final.
Obviously that did not happen and Salah has only been fit enough to feature from the bench in his last three appearances for Liverpool. With his injury issues continuing, Egypt opted to leave him out of their squad for March's internationals.
According to the Daily Mail, that was a decision that Salah played a key role in, with the attacker described as being 'highly influential'. The Liverpool star is reported to have pleaded with his nation to put his long-term fitness ahead of their immediate needs.
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That was a plea they ultimately listened too, despite Salah's frosty relationship with new boss Hossam Hassan. Hassan had been highly critical of Salah's decision to return to Liverpool for treatment, before taking over as manager from Rui Vitoria.
The Reds also wrote to the Egyptian FA to request that Salah be given an exemption from this month's internationals. Egypt initially declined that request, though lengthy talks led to them eventually reversing course.
Despite the apparent disagreement on the best plan for Salah, it is said there are no hard feelings between his club and his country. Boss Hassan though is said to have been 'extremely reluctant' to leave Salah out.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Was Mohamed Salah right to prioritise Liverpool over Egypt? Comment below.
Salah is still recovering from the injury he suffered in the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFP via Getty Images)It is claimed he was eventually convinced to give way by sports minister Ashraf Sobhy. Those talks came after Salah directly spoke with Sobhy to request an exemption due to his injury.
Egypt's next games after March come in early June, when they face Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau in World Cup qualifiers. Salah meanwhile was again only fit enough for the bench as Liverpool faced Manchester City on Sunday.
He came on for the final 30 minutes of the top of the table clash and put in a lively performance. But boss Jurgen Klopp insisted Salah was never considered a potential starter for the match.
"We didn’t even think about him starting the game. There are things in life you can learn from, and the last time Mo came back a bit early and was unlucky that he got a little setback," Klopp told Sky Sports.
"But we spoke about that with Mo as well. It was not his idea, or my idea to start him today. It will be an intense game and we can bring him on which is super cool, but no it was not a big decision."
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