Liverpool defends Salah in Egypt commitment row

Liverpool defended Mohamed Salah against accusations he was showing a lack of commitment to Egypt by returning to his club from the Africa Cup of Nations to get treatment for a hamstring injury.

Salah, one of the most high-profile players at the tournament, is scheduled to fly back to England on Wednesday and will "begin an intensive rehabilitation program," Liverpool said, in an effort to get him healthy again before the end of the competition.

Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders said on Tuesday that Salah has a "proper tear in his hamstring", which is expected to keep the winger out for three to four weeks, backing up a timeline given by Salah's agent on X, formerly Twitter.

Former Egypt international Ahmed Hassan said in British newspaper The Daily Mirror that Salah should be staying with the Egypt squad "no matter what, even if he only has one leg to stand on," adding that the team captain "was plotting his departure from the Egypt camp."

Lijnders was quick to downplay those comments.

"The one you should never doubt the commitment of is Mo Salah," said Lijnders, who was speaking at a news conference a day before Liverpool plays Fulham in the English League Cup semifinals. "I've never met a guy — a player, but also a human being — who is more committed to the life of being a professional football player.

"I know the country is devastated at losing him. We were devastated to hear he got injured. He plays their first (group) game, scores and assists and is captain.

"Of course, he's massively important. But, the only reason why our medical team and their medical team decided for him to come back, is to give him the best possible chance to be available if Egypt reaches the final."

Lijnders said some confusion might have been raised because Salah's injury, which happened during Egypt's second group game, wasn't initially regarded as serious.

Agencies via Xinhua