Mohamed Salah, Liverpool‘s leading scorer, might be out for more than a month because of AFCON. It all depends on how well Egypt performs in Ivory Coast. Salah may miss at least seven Liverpool games if Egypt advances to the finals in 2022. If Liverpool advances in the FA Cup against Arsenal, it might be eight games. Furthermore, defensive midfielder Wataru Endo will miss the Premier League leader due to international games with Japan at the Asian Cup.
Manager of Liverpool Jurgen Klopp said he’d be okay if Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo finish their international tournaments early. Salah is playing with Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations, and Endo is the captain of Japan in the Asian Cup. Klopp is fine with them leaving the competitions in the early stages.
This might mean they come back in the second week of February, but Klopp mentioned he didn’t wish them too much success when they left this week.
“I said If I wish you good luck it would be a lie. No, I do, obviously. From a personal point of view, I would be overly happy if they go out of the group stage. But it’s probably not possible, so it’s fine and then they can go and win it as well. Good luck, see you, and come back healthy — that’s pretty much the words,” Klopp said.
Liverpool did well even when Salah wasn’t playing last time, winning five matches and drawing one. Salah played a key role in helping Egypt reach the final, but they lost to Senegal and Salah’s then-teammate Sadio Mané. Salah has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season and is a top scorer in the Premier League with 14 goals, sharing the lead with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. He also has eight assists in the league, tying with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins. Before going for international duty, Salah scored twice in Liverpool’s 4-2 victory against Newcastle.
“Do you want to play without Mo? No. In the past, we didn’t have to do it too often but we always found I think a way to get through this period,” Klopp added.
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