Egypt national team coach Rui Vitoria confirmed that the injury suffered by team captain Mohamed Salah in the African Cup of Nations in the back muscle of the thigh will require a longer recovery period than initially expected, while the attacking star returns on Wednesday to his English club, Liverpool, to undergo treatment.
The Egyptian Football Association announced on Sunday that Salah will return to England to continue his recovery from a strain in the posterior muscle of his left thigh, which he suffered during the 2-2 draw with Ghana last Thursday in Abidjan.
After initially being excluded for two matches, Al-Ittihad indicated that the hope is that the 31-year-old will return to the semi-finals of the tournament, if Egypt advances that far.
A senior official in the Egyptian team told Agence France-Presse, “We expected him to be absent for a period ranging from 10 to 14 days,” while Liverpool doctors believe, “After conducting a CT scan, the injury requires more than that.”
On Monday, the player’s agent cast doubt even on the length of Salah’s absence in a post on the X website, before the Pharaohs’ decisive match against Cape Verde.
Rami Abbas wrote, “Mohamed’s injury is more serious than initially thought, and he will be absent for 21-28 days, not two matches.”
He added, “His best chance to participate in the current African Cup of Nations is to undergo an intensive rehabilitation process in Britain and return to the team once he recovers.”
– Vitoria is angry – In the press conference after the Cape Verde match, in which the Egyptians tied 2-2 to qualify for the round of 16 under the watchful eye of Salah, Vitoria confirmed, “I want to take this opportunity to clarify matters.”
The Portuguese added, “Mohamed Salah is suffering from an injury. We knew before this match that it was an injury that would take longer than we initially thought, so we had to extend the (recovery) time before he could play again.”
He continued, “Before the match, we did not want to say anything. At the same time, everything was under the control of our excellent medical team,” noting that it makes sense for Salah to return to Liverpool given that the Egyptian team will now leave Abidjan to play the round of 16 match in the city of San Pedro. .
“Given that we were going to have to travel, given the temperatures, and given that we were going to a different city, perhaps it would make sense for Salah to have a place he could go to recover as quickly as possible,” he said, expressing his annoyance with Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp.
He said, “We did not want to worry anyone. I do not think it was appropriate for Liverpool, through any means, to talk about this matter, because we played a very important match today,” referring to Klopp’s statements on Sunday evening, who revealed that Salah had returned to Liverpool to receive treatment. .
The source in the Egyptian team explained, “We agreed with Liverpool not to talk about Salah’s injury before the match with Cape Verde, and then we were surprised when Klopp issued a statement about his return to Britain.”
In turn, Vitoria said, “Salah is always with us. Now this match is over, we will find the best solution to treat the player. These are the facts. This is the situation.”
Liverpool announced on Monday on its official website that Salah “will return to the training center on Wednesday to begin an intensive rehabilitation program” after suffering an injury that turned out to be “worse than he feared from the beginning.”
He added, “This will give him the best opportunity to return to competing in the African Cup of Nations if Egypt continues its progress in the tournament.”
– Klopp’s expectations – The participation of African players in the Cup of Nations always irritates the coaches of major European clubs because it comes in the middle of the season on the old continent.
Klopp had joked in early January that he did not wish Salah good luck in the African Cup.
He commented on the participation of Salah and Japanese Wataru Endo in the Asian Cup, “I said that if I wished you good luck, it would be a lie.”
The coach of the team that leads the English Premier League added, “From a personal point of view, I would be happy if they were eliminated from the group stage, but that is often not possible. They can win (the two titles).”
He added, who won the English Premier League title with the Reds in 2020, “So it was ‘good luck and promises of good health’. We have to deal with the matter (their absence) and we will deal with it. I am optimistic that we will find a way.”
2024-01-23 06:22:54
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