Mohamed Salah injury update: how long will the Liverpool forward be out for?

Mohamed Salah went into the 2023 African Cup of Nations as the biggest star of the tournament, only to be forced off with an injury in the first half of Egypt’s second group game against Ghana. Five days later, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has revealed the extent of the issue and explained when the 31-year-old is likely to be back in action.

Both the Egyptians and the Reds were shaken by their star player dropping to the ground unopposed as half time approached in the clash in Abidjan, with The Pharaohs falling behind moments later and Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp revealing he was “in shock” at the sight of a stricken Salah, who rarely gets injured.

Egypt coach Rui Vitoria attempted to ease fears the forward had suffered a serious injury, while there has been plenty of speculation surrounding whether Salah would be able to recover in time for the latter stages of the tournament, should his country get that far. The seven-time AFCON champions are in the hat for the Round of 16 but didn’t impress in the group stage, drawing all three games.

Lijnders reveals Salah injury timeframe

Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Fulham, Lijnders has finally given a more definitive answer as to how long Salah, who will return to England for treatment on Wednesday, will be out of action.

“They made a detailed scan and it came out that it was a proper tear in his hamstring. So it means his expected return to play is between three to four weeks if everything goes smooth and everything goes right. Knowing Mo, it will go smooth and it will go right because of how he’s treated his body before.

“The only reason why our medical team and their medical team decided for him to come back is to give him the best possible chance to be available in the final, if Egypt reaches the final.”

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How many Liverpool games will Salah miss? Which ones?

Lijnders words suggest there is next to no chance of Salah being available before the AFCON 2023 final, which will take place on Sunday 11 February. However, they also mean there appears to be little possibility of the attacker playing for his club before the Premier League game away to Brentford on Saturday 17 February, even if Egypt are eliminated from the competition in earlier rounds.

Salah is therefore almost certain to miss the following Liverpool games:

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