Egypt respond to Liverpool's Mohamed Salah request before March international break
- Egypt reveal communication with Liverpool ahead of March international break
- Reds forward has struggled with a hamstring injury since the Africa Cup of Nations
- Klopp revealed he could be fit in time for next week's huge clash with Man City
The Egyptian FA has dismissed Liverpool's request for Mohamed Salah to be excluded from their upcoming fixtures during the March international break.
Salah has played just twice for the Reds since the start of the year, injuring his hamstring at the Africa Cup of Nations after playing two games for his country.
He wouldn't play again until mid-February, when the 31-year-old came off the bench to score and assist in a 4-1 win at Brentford, but he hasn't played again since. Manager Jurgen Klopp ruled the former Chelsea winger out of Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest, where Darwin Nunez scored a dramatic late winner.
Egypt are due to play in the inaugural 2024 Winsunited Cup, with Tunisia, Croatia and New Zealand also competing, and their FA have revealed they intend to pick Salah despite Liverpool's fears of exasperating the injury.
"We have already received a letter from Liverpool to exempt Mohamed Salah from the upcoming camp due to his injury," a statement from Egypt's FA reads.
"We sent the name of Mohamed Salah among the professional players that we are requesting to include in the next camp a few days ago.
"It is our right to include any professional player as long as it is at the time of the international agenda, and the issue of whether or not to include him is in the hands of the national team's technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan.
"It is still too early to decide the matter, and if Mohamed Salah plays any match in the time before the start of the camp, we will adhere to his inclusion, and he will be examined and his readiness determined by the medical staff of the Egyptian national team."
Klopp had revealed Salah could make his return to fitness for next week's huge Premier League title clash with Manchester City.
He said on Friday: "I don't think Mo is too far off, but he will not feature [at Forest]. From there, we have to go. Touch and go, unfortunately that stays the case with Mo for a little bit longer.
"But I think next week, at any point, it is possible. So he is on the way back, definitely, but not there yet."
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