January 26, (THEWILL) – Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has defended his decision to return to England for treatment for a hamstring injury sustained while on international duty with Egypt. The 31-year-old, who is Egypt’s record appearance holder, was criticised by some for not remaining with the national team at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah is expected to be sidelined for around four weeks after suffering the injury during Egypt’s draw with Ghana last week. He watched from the stands as his country secured qualification for the knockout stages with a 2-2 draw against Cape Verde on Monday.
Hitting back at his detractors, Salah reiterated his “love” for his homeland and vowed to return to the national team if they progress further in the tournament. He also thanked supporters in a social media post, proclaiming: “I still love it [Egypt] and its people.”
The situation sparked further debate regarding club versus country, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp forced to apologise after revealing Salah’s plan to return to England. The Reds are competing on four fronts domestically and in Europe.
Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas also leapt to his defence, accusing “influencers” of trying to use the situation for “fame, clicks and likes”. He said the Egyptian’s global icon status was already “too big to be brought down by social media”.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
