Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has suffered an injury during Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations group game against Ghana this evening.The talismanic winger went down following a quick Egypt break which came to nothing, having seemingly tweaked his hamstring while sprinting to support the attack.
Salah received very brief treatment from the physios on the pitch, but appeared resigned to the fact that his involvement in the match was over soon after going down.
The 31-year-old duly limped off the pitch just before half time, handing the captain’s armband to Ahmed Hegazy and being replaced by Mostafa Fathi.
The severity of the injury is not yet clear, but the nature of a hamstring injury means that Salah’s involvement in the remainder of the tournament is now in doubt.
Egypt take on Cape Verde in their final Group B match on Monday, and then could be involved in knockout action as early as January 27 should they progress from the group.
Rui Vitoria’s side have work to do to book their place in the last 16, having needed a 97th-minute Salah penalty to rescue a 2-2 draw against underdogs Mozambique in their opening game.
Salah’s withdrawal against Ghana came with the score at 0-0, but West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus added insult to injury moments later to give Ghana the lead going into the break.
Egypt have won the Africa Cup of Nations a record seven times in the past, but the last of those came in 2010, meaning that Salah is yet to get his hands on the trophy.
The injury will also be of concern to Liverpool, who were already facing up to a month without their star forward due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations and may now fear an even lengthier absence as they continue to challenge on four fronts.
