Mohamed Salah was not involved as Egypt wrapped up their Africa Cup of Nations preparations with a friendly against Nigeria, after the Liverpool star failed to arrive in time for the fixture.
The winger has not started a competitive match since November 22, raising questions about his rhythm heading into the tournament. However, expectations remain high that Salah will be fit and ready to lead the line when Egypt open their AFCON campaign against Zimbabwe on December 22.
Salah travels to the competition following a turbulent period at club level. His time at Anfield has been overshadowed by a controversial interview in which he suggested he felt scapegoated by the club and claimed there was no real relationship between himself and new head coach Arne Slot.
That fallout saw him omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League victory over Inter, though he later returned to action from the bench against Brighton. In that appearance, Salah made an instant impact, setting up one of the goals in a 2–0 win.
With AFCON now just days away, all eyes will be on whether Egypt’s talisman can put recent distractions behind him and rediscover his best form on the continental stage.
Leave a Reply