Bizarre reason Mohamed Salah dropped for Egypt AFCON qualifier revealed in statement | OneFootball

Liverpool legend desperate to avoid injury while on international duty

Mohamed Salah will play no part in Egypt’s AFCON qualifier against South Sudan on Tuesday so as to avoid playing on artificial turf.

The 34-year-old Liverpool legend, who now represents Turkish side Trabzonspor, has been left out of the matchday squad for the game and has not travelled with his team-mates.

He started last Friday night’s goalless draw with Angola and was withdrawn shortly after the hour mark.

Now, a statement from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has confirmed he will be left out against South Sudan due to the artificial surface at the Juba Stadium.

It read: "The Egypt national team's technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, has decided to rest Mohamed Salah for the match against South Sudan scheduled for 29 September because of the playing surface.

Mohamed Salah played 61 minutes of Egypt’s goalless draw with Angola on Friday

AFP/Getty

"It was agreed between the national team's technical staff and Mohamed Salah before the Angola match that he would not play against South Sudan, and the technical staff preferred this approach in order to protect the player.”

There is a widely held conception that players hold a greater risk of serious injury when playing on artificial pitches, though studies have debunked the theory.

It remains to be seen whether Salah will feature when Egypt host South Africa in a friendly next Sunday, October 4.

Salah has made a fine start to life at Trabzonspor after calling time on his decade with Liverpool, scoring seven goals and assisting a further two in his first six Turkish Super Lig appearances. His most recent appearance at club level saw him score a hat-trick in a 4-0 demolition of rivals Galatasaray.