Egypt's Salah to return to Liverpool after Cup of Nations injury

ABIDJAN :Mohamed Salah will return to Liverpool for treatment on his hamstring injury but only after watching Egypt complete their group fixtures at the Africa Cup of Nations finals when they meet Cape Verde Islands in Abidjan on Monday.

The Egypt Football Association (EFA) confirmed he will continue his treatment at his club as Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp had suggested earlier on Sunday following their 4-0 Premier League win at Bournemouth.

Egypt, however, still hope Salah could play a role at the tournament.

"We are hoping to catch him in the semi-finals of the Africa Nations Cup in case of qualification,” the EFA said in a statement.

It is still not clear how long Salah will be out after pulling up with the hamstring injury before halftime in their clash against Ghana on Thursday but Klopp said: “However long he is out, I think probably everybody sees that it makes sense that he is doing the rehab with us or with our people.

On whether Salah could feature again for Egypt during the tournament at the Ivory Coast, Klopp said: “I’m not a doctor. I would say if Egypt qualify for the final and he is fit before the final then probably yes. Why not?"

Salah spoke to reporters earlier on Sunday but did not offer more on his injury.

"My injury is still there but the most important thing now is to speak about the game,” he told a press conference ahead of the Cape Verde game.

“Our primary goal is to secure qualification for the next round, with skilled players, a good coach and a clear vision.

"We're fully committed to giving our best in the tournament and we just need to fight and see what will happen," he added of the game with Cape Verde, who despite being the smallest country at the finals have already secured top place in the