adminCAIRO. – Mohamed Salah played 90 minutes for Egypt on Sunday despite being injured, having turned down Liverpool’s offer of a scan to help resolve an ongoing issue.
The Reds forward captained his country to a 1-0 win over Guinea in the opening match of their qualifying campaign for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
He was kept relatively quiet in the game, as the Pharaohs left it late to secure victory with a goal in the 87th minute from Mostafa Mohamed.
“Salah was suffering from an injury and played through it,” Egypt boss Ehab Galal said after the game.
“He rejected Liverpool’s request for an X-ray before the game and will now undergo it.”
Salah’s 23 Premier League goals last season won him the golden boot (tied with Heung-min Son), but his performances notably dipped towards the end of the campaign as he seemed to struggle with an injury issue.
He was forced off just 32 minutes into the FA Cup final with a groin problem and missed Liverpool’s trip to Southampton in the Premier League three days later.
The 29-year-old was then limited to a substitute appearance on the final day of the season against Wolves, before starting the Champions League final against Real Madrid but he struggled to make an impact in Liverpool’s defeat in Paris.
Egypt will now await the results of Salah’s scan ahead of their two fixtures against Ethiopia and South Korea in the next 10 days.
Liverpool may selfishly hope that the forward is used with caution if he does play, with the Reds set to return for pre-season in just four weeks’ time.
Salah has confirmed that he will remain at Anfield this summer following speculation about his future, as he only has one year left on his current deal. – Mailonline .
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter