“He should stay with the team no matter what, even if he had one leg to stand on” - Mo Salah slammed by Egypt icon for returning to Liverpool

Egypt legend Ahmed Hassan believes Mohamed Salah should have stayed with the national team rather than returning to Liverpool after suffering an injury during the ongoing AFCON 2023.

Salah suffered a hamstring injury during Egypt's clash against Ghana on Thursday, January 18, and had to be replaced just before half-time. The Pharaohs drew the game 2-2, their second consecutive draw of the tournament.

Salah has returned to Merseyside for his rehabilitation and if Egypt progress to the latter stages of the tournament, the talismanic attacker could rejoin the team.

Hassan, Egypt's record appearance maker, has claimed that Salah should have stayed with the team regardless of his fitness. Speaking about the Egyptian captain, Hassan said (via Liverpool Echo):

"I've always backed Salah and I was very happy with his presence as captain of the Egyptian national team. I had no problems with what he said, but it turned out he was plotting his departure from the Egypt camp."

Hassan added:

"Do the AFCON regulations allow a player to leave the national team's camp and come back again? He had the possibility of bringing in someone from Liverpool's medical staff to be with him during the competition."

"Again, he's the captain. He should stay with the team no matter what, even if he had one leg to stand on."

Speaking about Salah's importance to the national team, Hassan claimed:

"He even said himself that it's the Egypt national team, not Salah's national team and it's true. We have confidence in all the players who are there and they must fight for the title."

Mohamed Salah got off to a flying start at AFCON 2023, bagging a goal and an assist during their 2-2 draw against Mozambique in their opener. His absence is a big blow for the Pharaos, who are currently playing against Cape Verde in their final group stage match.

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah's agent confirms extent of his injury

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah's agent, Ramy Abbas, has confirmed that the forward is expected to be out for three to four weeks. He claimed that returning to England gave Salah the best chance of regaining his fitness for the tournament's latter stages.

Abbas said (via Fabrizio Romano on X):

"The injury is more serious than first thought. He will be out for 21-28 days. 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."

If the Pharaohs reach the AFCON final, scheduled on February 11, there's a slim chance that Salah will be available for selection. Otherwise, the Liverpool ace's run in the tournament might have already ended.