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Mohamed Salah appears to have suffered the most serious injury since his move to Liverpool.

Although Liverpool and the Egyptian national team are in a situation that is unfortunate, it is expected that Salah will not be able to return to the stadium immediately for the time being.

European football transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano said on his personal social media on Sunday  that his agent Ramy Abbas had made a statement about Salah's injury. "The injury is worse than we thought. Salah will be absent for 21 to 28 days. If he wants to rejoin the ongoing CAF Nations Cup, he will have to join the team as soon as he feels better after completing intensive rehabilitation in the U.K.," he said.

Earlier on the 22nd, Salah reported on the Egyptian Football Association's official SNS, saying, "The national team and Liverpool medical staff discussed Salah through additional tests over the past few hours. Salah decided to return to England for treatment after the match against Cabo Verde."

Salah surprised fans as he was replaced at the end of the first half in the second group match of the Africa Cup of Nations between Egypt and Ghana on the 19th, complaining of injury without a big foul or collision. After the match, Egypt's coach Louis Vittoria said, "I hope it's not a big problem. We don't know how Salah's injury is. I don't think it's dangerous, but we have to watch him recover."

Despite his initial injury, he expressed his willingness to remain in the Egyptian national team. In a pre-match interview with Cabo Verde, he said, "I'm happy to be here. I have injuries. But the most important thing is to talk about the game. The national team has very good players. I think they are the 27 best players in Egypt. I think we can fight with courage and confidence to win." He showed his affection for the national team. However, in the end, the Egyptian Football Association and Liverpool decided on Salah's return to England and Salah could not stay in the Egyptian team anymore.

Some predicted that if Salah recovers quickly, he could return to the national team after advancing to the semifinals. The Egyptian Football Association said, "If Salah recovers successfully, he can join us at the semi-finals of the Nations Cup," adding, "We have to wait and see how Salah gets hurt." However, with the Abbas agent's announcement, we cannot guarantee that he will join us.

Salah's point of view is very disappointing. Salah has not had much luck in the national team. It was far from a trophy. He has never won a championship, and he has lost two finals to Cameroon in 2017 and Senegal in 2021, missing the trophy of the African Cup of Nations right around the corner. As this was the last Nations Cup championship challenge that could be played in its heyday, it is expected that Egypt will be eliminated after Salah's departure.

Salah's departure from Liverpool can also pose a huge vacuum. Liverpool is aiming to win the league title for the first time in four seasons as the leader of the English Premier League this season. Currently, second-ranked Manchester City is chasing after each other by a five-point margin with one less game, and Arsenal, who played the same number of games, also have the same gap with 43 points. As Aston Villa and other teams are paying attention to Liverpool, it is time to solidify its lead.

Salah's stake in Liverpool's championship race is huge. Salah is a striker who represents Liverpool. Salah joined Liverpool in the summer of 2017 and achieved the leap forward of his career. Salah was initially not highly anticipated, but he grew into one of the best wingers in the Premier League, scoring 32 goals and 11 assists in the 2017-2018 season and scoring 10 goals in the European Champions League alone.

Salah has 14 goals and eight assists in this season alone, tying for the top scorer in the league. His 22 offensive points far exceeds that of Darwin Núñez, the second-ranked player in Liverpool this season. In addition to scoring goals, Salah's early return is especially important as he has additional chances to attack due to his destructive power in Liverpool's tactics.

Liverpool continues to do well in the absence of Salah, but the absence of troubleshooter Salah could hamper the team's matches with top-tier teams. Earlier, Klopp also drew attention to Salah's presence and rumors of his transfer to Saudi Arabia ahead of this season. "We have no offer. Salah is a Liverpool player, and he is an essential player in everything we do," Klopp said. "Even if there is something, the answer would be no. He is 100 percent committed to Liverpool. There is nothing more to say," he said, stressing that Salah is the core of the team.

Fortunately, Liverpool beat Bournemouth 4-0 thanks to the performances of Nuñez and Jota, who played without Salah. On the news of Salah's injury after the victory over Bournemouth, Liverpool striker Jota said, "Salah is a world-class player. We miss him. But we need to go one step further and find solutions and share responsibility on the field. Several players were injured. He survived in December, and January is passing," stressing that Salah's vacancy must be filled well.

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Salah has been a steel king who rarely gets injured. Since his professional debut in Al-Mokhurun Al-Arab in 2010, only 26 games, including clubs and the national team, have been sidelined due to injuries in 14 seasons. In Liverpool, only three games and 44 days have been sidelined due to injuries in the past six seasons. In particular, while some of the players whose strength is their fast speed have been chronicly involved with hamstring injuries, this is the first time Salah has also suffered a hamstring injury.

Manager Jürgen Klopp also shared his opinion on Salah's condition. "Salah will return to the team and proceed with treatment. We don't know yet what kind of shock he was. There are various hamstring injuries, and it is certain that Salah feels something wrong with his leg. There is definitely a problem," Klopp said, not forgetting his concern about his condition.

"I talked to Salah on the phone. He contacted the medical staff immediately after the incident, and I also heard from them. I am not a doctor," he said, adding that he did not know Salah's exact condition.

Salah's injury has forced both Liverpool and Egypt's national teams to sigh. Depending on the timing of his return, the Egyptian national team's challenge to win the Africa Cup of Nations and Liverpool's championship race are expected to be greatly affected.