In a potentially devastating development, Mohamed Salah sustained an injury significant enough to force him off the field during Egypt’s group stage match against Ghana.
The exact nature of the injury is unclear, as there was no apparent contact with other players, and no evident signs of a muscle pull as the 31-year-old left the field after an unsuccessful counter-attack.
Liverpool’s leading scorer displayed visible frustration in the game and a half he played for the Pharaohs in this year’s African Cup of Nations. Despite fortuitously assisting the first goal and confidently converting a penalty in the opener against Mozambique, Salah seemed disheartened throughout, a sentiment that persisted for 45 goal-less minutes against Ghana.
Whether Salah has been carrying an injury throughout the tournament or is simply fatigued from featuring in 34 matches for both club and country this season remains uncertain.
Fans can only hope that, regardless of Egypt’s performance in overcoming their slow start to the competition, Salah will return to Merseyside unharmed whenever his comeback takes place.
