Mohamed Salah injury: Jurgen Klopp addresses 'shock' blow as Liverpool face anxious wait

Reds nervously awaiting update after further Egypt assessment on hamstring issue suffered at AFCON
George Flood19 January 2024

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is anxiously awaiting an update on Mohamed Salah's "shock" injury blow sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Reds forward started for and captained Egypt as usual in their high-profile Group B AFCON clash against Ghana in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan on Thursday night, having spared the record seven-time winners' blushes with a last-gasp penalty in the weekend draw with minnows Mozambique.

However, Salah was forced off after receiving treatment for a suspected hamstring injury on the stroke of half-time at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium and appeared close to tears as he limped out.

After the game, which ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw, Egypt head coach Rui Vitoria expressed hope that the issue affecting his star player was not serious.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was injured during Egypt's draw with Ghana at AFCON
AP

"I hope it's not a big problem," he told reporters. "Now I don't know [the severity] because it's [too] early to see something. I think it's not dangerous, but let's see if Salah recovers."

Salah's injury was then understandably the hot topic as Klopp conducted a pre-match Friday press conference ahead of Liverpool's Premier League trip to Bournemouth on Sunday, with the Reds boss admitting his shock over the setback as he waits to hear more news.

"We don't know anything about it," he said. "I spoke with him [Salah] last night and how it was. They are doing further assessments now and then we will know more.

"In that moment it was a shock and couldn't see why he was hit by something so intense. You have these kind of hamstring injuries in a different way.

"He felt it and we know how rarely Mo goes off, or needs to go off, so it is definitely something but we will see. I don't have any more information right now."

Asked if Liverpool would need to send their own medical staff to Ivory Coast in order to assess Salah further, Klopp replied: "We will see. It depends on the diagnostics.

"We will have an ultrasound and MRI and then we will know what it is and we will see and make plans, but it's too early [at the moment]."

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