Mohamed Salah played a key role in Egypt’s historic run to the World Cup finals, but the Liverpool star is an injury doubt ahead of next week’s last-32 run.
Mohamed Salah is a World Cup injury scare for Egypt (Image: ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Egypt’s star player and captain Mohamed Salah is expected to undergo tests after coming on as a substitute against Iran, and there is a major injury concern. The Liverpool winger, who will officially leave Anfield as a free agent on July 1, was replaced by Mostafa Zico in the 57th minute of Saturday’s 1-1 draw.
The four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner impressed at this summer’s World Cup, scoring his 68th international goal in Egypt’s 3-1 win over New Zealand in the second group stage leg. The 34-year-old also assisted on two other goals in the tournament, helping his country reach the knockout stages for the first time.
However, Salah’s availability for next Friday’s match against Australia is now in serious doubt. After the match against Iran, the Egyptian FA provided a worrying update in a post on ‘X’.
“Hossam Hassan, technical director of Egypt’s First National Team, has confirmed that team captain Mohamed Salah complained of hamstring pain during the 2026 World Cup match against Iran, which led to his withdrawal from the match in the second half.”
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“Hassan added that Egypt’s left-back Ahmed Fotoo also felt pain in his hamstring, while Mohamed Abdelmonem suffered a bruise on his ankle.
“The technical director of our national team said that Salah, Fotouh and Abdelmonem will undergo X-rays and medical examinations under the supervision of team doctor Dr. Mohamed Aboul Ella to confirm their condition and decide on a treatment program for their recovery.”
Uncertainty also hangs over Salah’s future at the club as he prepares to leave Merseyside after nine years. The forward’s agent Ramy Abbas has denied that the outgoing Liverpool star has already decided on his next team amid speculation that he has been linked with a move to Turkey.
“Mohamed is perfectly fine and neither he nor I like to discuss sensitive plans for the future with people who are not involved in them,” he wrote on X.
Mohamed Salah is set to leave Liverpool this summer (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“He and I are both very private about these things. Sure, you might get a standard polite response when people ask, but that’s about it.”
Abbas’ comments came after Turkish businessman Tornogullari claimed the Egyptian superstar was keen on a move to Fenerbaje.
Speaking to Fotospor in early June, he said: “He was very keen to come to Turkey. The talks we had were very positive. We established common ground with him on many issues, including salaries.”
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“If the new management makes such a request, Salah will wear the Fenerbahçe shirt. We would be happy to cooperate with the new management in negotiations.”
Salah leaves Liverpool as one of Liverpool’s all-time greats, having won a number of major accolades since joining Anfield in June 2017 under then manager Jurgen Klopp. This includes two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two League Cups.
