World Cup: Salah Could Still Feature For Egypt

CHARLIE MALAM

Mohamed Salah could still feature for Egypt in the World Cup this summer despite the worrying shoulder injury he sustained in the Champions League final.

The Liverpool winger tangled with Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos in the 26th minute and despite his attempts to play through the pain, was substituted off in tears as the Reds went on to lose 3-1 in Kiev.

His injury has cast huge doubts over his hopes of being involved at this summer’s international tournament in Russia, Egypt’s first World Cup since 1990. But although Jurgen Klopp declared Salah’s issue as a “really serious injury” post-match – the Egyptian Football Association remain confident of a positive diagnosis.

They tweeted on Saturday night that Salah had undergone an X-ray following the incident which suggested a shoulder ligament sprain rather than a dislocation, as some reports had speculated. A dislocation would likely take at least three months to recover from, therefore seeing him out until the start of the new season.

The World Cup begins on June 14 with Egypt’s opening game against Uruguay the following day in Yekaterinburg.

The Egyptian FA added that physician Dr. Mohammed Abu Ola – who is said to have spoken directly with Liverpool’s medical staff over the player’s condition – remains “optimistic” that Salah can make the World Cup.

Salah’s injury brings an unfortunate end to an excellent debut season at Anfield which saw him score 44 goals and lay on a further 15 assists across all competitions. His tally of 32 Premier League goals saw him set the record for the most goals scored in a 38-game season while he also claimed the Golden Boot.

The 25-year-old will be Egypt’s main man in Group A – where they face Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia – if he is declared fit enough to be involved in two weeks’ time. The former Chelsea and Roma attacker scored a stoppage-time penalty kick against DR Congo back in October to seal the Pharaohs’ World Cup qualification.