Liverpool have been well below par this season as Mohamed Salah endures a nosedive, but AFCON will allow the Reds to see how they fare without the Egyptian star
Liverpool will have a chance to see how they perform without struggling Mohamed Salah, as his exit date for the African Cup of Nations could be moved earlier than planned.
The Egyptian hasn’t been dropped for almost the entirety of his time at Anfield, and although he’s almost 10 years old, his contribution has never been so minimal. Still, it would still be manager Arne Slott’s decision to let go of the forward, who recently signed a new two-year contract.
Salah has scored just two goals in the top flight since mid-September and has not provided an assist in any competition since the 2-1 derby win over Everton over two months ago.
Egypt want Salah to take part in a friendly in mid-December before the start of the competition, the Echo reports, adding that Salah will miss the Premier League game against Brighton & Hove Albion on December 13, as well as the games he was due to miss over the Christmas period. All in all, leaving in mid-December could mean Salah will be sidelined for more than a month for the Reds.
Egypt will begin their tour against Zimbabwe on December 22nd. The African tournament will be held from December 21st to January 18th, and Salah could miss up to seven games depending on Egypt’s progress. That means Slott will be able to play against the team for an extended period of time, with the exception of the forwards who have struggled all season.
read more: Liverpool have sent mixed messages to Alexander Isak, says Hugo Ekitike should be ‘angry’read more: Arne Slott ready to scupper Liverpool’s plans after stumbling with winning formula
The relationship between Liverpool’s leadership and the Egyptian Football Association is healthy and negotiations are continuing towards an agreement. Egypt’s technical director Ibrahim Hassan told winwin.com: “We are still in contact with Liverpool and Manchester City (regarding Omar Marmouche) regarding this matter.”
With Salah’s goals and assist numbers falling off a cliff, his attitude has also been called into question. His lack of defensive work has also been heavily criticized, with his most vocal critic Wayne Rooney calling for Slot to be sacked.
On Monday night, Jamie Carragher criticized his team for staying silent in their defeat. He said: “The only time you listen to Salah is when he wins Man of the Match or when he needs a new contract. I would like to see Mo Salah come out as one of the leaders, one of the Liverpool legends and speak for the team.”
Liverpool are struggling to find a winning formula after a turbulent summer. Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz have been signed as part of the attack, but Isak and Wirtz have struggled to make an impact in what has been an underwhelming upfront.
It was notable how impressive Wirtz was from the right wing in the Champions League victory over Frankfurt, and while Salah’s possible absence for a month will give Liverpool an idea of what they are capable of minus the Egyptian, Salah will almost certainly be on the move in just over 18 months.
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