'More serious than first thought' - Mohamed Salah's agent confirms huge Liverpool injury blow
- Salah suffered muscle strain during Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations clash with Ghana
- Forward has returned to Liverpool for treatment as agent confirms new injury timeline
- Reds star unlikely to play at AFCON 2023 again
Mohamed Salah's agent has revealed the Egypt star is now set to miss close to a month of action - putting his participation in the remainder of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in serious jeopardy - after his injury turned out to be worse than first feared.
The Liverpool forward suffered a muscle strain during his nation's 2-2 AFCON draw with Ghana last Thursday and has since returned to his club for treatment.
The Egyptian FA initially confirmed he would miss their next two games - the first being their last group stage outing and the second a potential last-16 clash - while Reds manager Jurgen Klopp later estimated Salah could be fit in time for the final.
Agent Ramy Abbas Issa posted the update on Twitter on Monday night, stating: "Mohamed's injury is more serious than first thought and he will be out for 21-28 days, and not 2 games.
"His best chance at participating in the current AFCON is by undergoing intensive rehabilitation in the UK and rejoining the team as soon as he is fit."
WILL THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW DELIVER?
AFCON's final takes place in just under three weeks on Sunday 11 February, leaving Salah with ground to make up if he is to be fit should the Pharoahs reach the showpiece in Abidjan.
Egypt still have work to do to reach the knockout stages, having drawn both of their group stage games 2-2 so far. Victory over Group B leaders Cape Verde on Monday night would make their progression official, but eyes will also be on the match between Ghana and Mozambique with both sides able to leapfrog Salah's teammates.
Liverpool have won all three games since's Salah's temporary departure by an 8-1 aggregate scoreline, securing cup victories over Arsenal and Fulham while establishing a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
feed