Mohamed Salah was left out of Egypt’s squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, with the talismanic Liverpool forward not involved for the Pharoahs
Egypt triumphed over Nigeria 2-1 in their sole friendly match before the Africa Cup of Nations, but Mohamed Salah was noticeably absent.
The 33-year-old Liverpool ace has joined his national squad ahead of the 2025-26 AFCON tournament in Morocco, where he is set to lead the Pharaohs. However, manager Hossam Hassan chose not to include the star player in Tuesday’s matchday squad, despite Salah having been benched for Liverpool’s last five matches.
The striker found himself sidelined by Arne Slot due to a dip in form, and matters worsened when he made startling revelations during a post-match interview. After being left on the bench during Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds earlier this month, Salah cast uncertainty over his future at Anfield.
He accused Liverpool of ‘throwing him under the bus’ and suggested that ‘someone’ wants him out of the club. The legendary winger also claimed he no longer shares ‘any relationship’ with Slot.
After being excluded from Liverpool’s Champions League trip to face Inter Milan last week, crucial discussions were held prior to Saturday’s match against Brighton. This led to Salah’s return to the Reds’ squad, and he played a significant part in their 2-0 victory, despite starting on the bench once more, reports the Mirror.
He came off the bench to set up Hugo Ekitike for the Reds’ second goal with a pinpoint cross from a corner. However, the Egyptian skipper was nowhere to be seen when the Pharaohs took on Nigeria.
Salah’s participation had been uncertain after he arrived in Egypt in the early hours of Tuesday morning alongside Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush.
Mahmoud Saber and Mostafa Mohamed netted the goals for the home team in Cairo, securing a victory in their sole friendly match before kicking off their AFCON campaign next Monday. Egypt finds themselves in a group with Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Angola.
Salah is keen to get his hands on the trophy for the first time. “Of course I want to win something with the national team,” he expressed back in 2022.
“It’s my country, what I love the most. This trophy for me would be completely different, would be the closest to my heart. We were close before to win this (in 2017), we gave it everything but we were not lucky to win it.
“But it’s okay, now we are here in the new one. We have to fight for it, we have to give everything to win it and I’m sure the players have the same feeling.”
The final showdown will be held in Rabat on January 18.