Egypt boss makes big request as fresh update emerges on Salah’s AFCON plans | OneFootball

The situation around Mo Salah’s Africa Cup of Nations preparation has taken another turn, though Liverpool will feel the key decisions should still fall in our favour.

Winwin Sports report that Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has asked for their AFCON training camp to begin earlier than planned, pushing the start date from 7 December to 1 December in an attempt to extend his squad’s time together before travelling to Morocco.

That request has already caused complications for several clubs and Salah’s position naturally sits at the heart of the discussion.

It is claimed that the Egyptian Football Association president Hani Abu Rida is personally in contact with Liverpool and Manchester City, with both clubs refusing to release players early due to Premier League commitments on 13 and 14 December against Brighton and Crystal Palace respectively.

The national coach is said to want Salah and Omar Marmoush available for a friendly against Nigeria on 14 December, which would require Liverpool’s No.11 to leave us earlier than expected.

From our perspective, the timing could hardly be less ideal.

Liverpool face early AFCON call-up pressure on Salah

Picture via @EgyptNT_EN on X

Salah has featured in 17 matches this season, as many as anyone in our squad, and sits joint-second for assists while ranking second for goals, with the Egyptian also one of our sharpest performers in the first half of the Nottingham Forest defeat.

We know criticism continues to circle despite his output, with Wayne Rooney arguing that our winger is “not helping them defensively” and even suggesting that Arne Slot “should consider dropping Mo Salah to send a message” to the rest of the squad.

Graeme Souness also added to the noise by claiming that “the decline has started” for both Salah and Virgil van Dijk, remarks that inevitably create headlines even if they do not reflect the numbers produced by our main attacking threat.

For Liverpool, the priority is simple.

We need our talisman with us as long as possible before he joins up with Egypt, especially given our league position and the need to respond after Forest became only the fourth side to win at Anfield by three or more goals.

How Salah’s AFCON schedule could affect Liverpool’s fixtures

Image via @EgyptNT_EN on X

Keeping Salah at Kirkby for as much preparation as possible would benefit both the team and the player, with the 22 December AFCON opener against Zimbabwe still leaving ample time for him to switch focus once the official release period begins.

Egypt, meanwhile, continue to push for an early arrival amid the suspension of their domestic league, but FIFA’s final ruling on release dates is still awaited.

Until then, we simply hope Salah remains available for our crucial mid-December fixtures, with any delay to his departure offering us a better chance to steady our season before he pursues glory with his country.

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