Salah limped off the field during the first half of Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Ghana last Thursday and a statement released by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) on Friday evening confirmed he was expected to miss the match. miss the next 2 matches if they qualify for the knockout stages of CAN 2023.

When asked about the possibility of their top scorer returning to Merseyside in the press conference after Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth on Sunday, manager Jurgen Klopp said: “That’s the plan. If that was I don’t know if it’s 100% decided, but that’s the plan.”

And just a few hours later, the EFA posted the following statement on social media confirming the 31-year-old would return to England.

“After carrying out additional tests on Salah over the past hours and following communication between the medical department of the national team and Liverpool FC, it has been confirmed that the player will return to England after the match against Cape Town. Verde to complete the treatment process.”

However, EFA also added: “We hope to meet him in the CAN 2023 semi-finals in case we pass the group stage.”

Despite Salah’s absence, Liverpool easily beаt Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday to consolidate their position at the top of the Premier League table. Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota each scored two goals in the second half. Meanwhile, Salah’s Egyptian team is facing many challenges in finding a ticket to the next round.

Egypt is currently ranked second in Group B of CAN 2023, only 1 point ahead of third-ranked Ghana and fourth-ranked Mozambique. Egypt will face top team Cape Verde in the early morning of January 23. If they want to advance, Egypt must win. In case of losing points, the most traditional team in CAN history has a 99% chance of being eliminated.