Egypt star Mohamed Salah to miss two AFCON matches due to hamstring strain

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Friday that Mohamed Salah, aged 31, will be absent from two Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) matches for Egypt. This unfortunate circumstance arises from a hamstring muscle strain he sustained during the 2-2 draw against Ghana on Thursday.

In a brief statement, the EFA confirmed that Salah's hamstring injury was confirmed through X-rays, and as a result, he will be absent from the team's next two matches in the Africa Cup of Nations against Cape Verde and the round of 16 if Egypt qualifies.

Salah sustained the injury during Thursday's Group B game against Ghana in Abidjan, pulling up with a hamstring strain before halftime. Initially, Salah wanted to continue playing, but the pain intensified, leading him to request to be substituted.

Jurgen Klopp, Salah's manager at Liverpool, expressed concern about the seriousness of the injury, noting that Salah rarely gets injured or leaves the field for his club.

Klopp mentioned that further assessments are being conducted to gather more information about the injury. Salah has only missed 10 league games in over six seasons for Liverpool.

Klopp stated that it is uncertain whether Liverpool's medical staff will travel to the Ivory Coast to assess the extent of Salah's injury, as it depends on the results of the diagnostics, including ultrasound and MRI scans.

Losing Salah would be a significant setback for Egypt, who have had a slow start to their campaign in the Ivory Coast. Salah's last-gasp penalty in their opening game against Mozambique helped Egypt secure a 2-2 draw and avoid an embarrassing defeat.