Liverpool ask Egypt to leave Mohamed Salah out of next squad

The 31-year-old is currently in the treatment room with a thigh injury, having exacerbated the issue which he sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Salah returned to Merseyside midway through the group stage in order to undergo treatment, and while there was hope that he would return for the latter stages, Egypt lost on penalties to DR Congo in the last 16.

The former Chelsea and Roma man returned with a bang against Brentford on February 17, registering a goal and assist off the bench in that 4-1 victory, although he tweaked his muscle during his time on the Gtech Community Stadium field.

Salah has not been available for Jurgen Klopp since, missing each of their last four matches in all competitions, including the Reds' EFL Cup final success over Chelsea and 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Thursday's Europa League last-16 first leg with Sparta Prague is also expected to come too soon for Salah to return, but there is hope that the attacker will be given the green light to face Manchester City in next weekend's tantalising top-of-the-table Premier League showdown.

The first international break of 2024 is scheduled for later this month, during which Egypt will play New Zealand (March 22) and either Croatia or Tunisia (March 25/26) in the inaugural edition of the Winsunited Cup.

The Pharaohs intended to call Salah up to their squad, but the Egyptian FA have now revealed that Liverpool have requested them not to summon the 31-year-old due to his fitness worries.

However, Egypt have affirmed that they will exercise their right to include Salah in their squad if he returns to action for Liverpool before the international break, and national team doctors will then carry out their own assessment during the domestic hiatus.

"We have already received a letter from Liverpool to exempt Mohamed Salah from the upcoming camp due to his injury," a statement read. "We sent the name of Mohamed Salah among the professional players that we are requesting to include in the next camp a few days ago.

"It is our right to include any professional player as long as it is at the time of the international agenda, and the issue of whether or not to include him is in the hands of the national team's technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan.

"It is still too early to decide the matter, and if Mohamed Salah plays any match in the time before the start of the camp, we will adhere to his inclusion, and he will be examined and his readiness determined by the medical staff of the Egyptian national team."

Salah was one of 10 Liverpool players absent from Saturday's clash with Nottingham Forest, joining Ryan Gravenberch, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Alisson Becker on the sidelines.

However, Andy Robertson, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez all returned at the City Ground, where the latter headed in an extraordinary 99th-minute winner, the 10th-latest Premier League goal on record.

Klopp's men increased their lead at the top of the table to four points on Saturday, although Manchester City will close the gap back to one if they beat Manchester United in Sunday's derby.