It was an international break with a difference for Mohamed Salah, whose decisions are now appearing to be taken with a long-term view
It was an international break with a difference for Mohamed Salah as he sat out Egypt’s fixtures, despite being fully fit and cleared for action.
While his national colleagues were taking on Cape Verde and Botswana in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Salah was spending time with his family at the Disneyland Paris resort before turning out as the special guest of the Sharjah International Book Fair in the United Arab Emirates.
All that was before Salah returned to Merseyside and trained with a large portion of the club’s Under-21 contingent at the AXA Centre on Tuesday. For many of Barry Lewtas’s young hopefuls, including the returning Jayden Danns, the opportunity to rub shoulders with someone of the Egyptian’s profile is no doubt a priceless perk on their own journey towards senior football.
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The decision to sit out the national round of fixtures for the November break provided Salah with what was no doubt an invaluable week off to recharge and spend with his family ahead of a critically important period for a side who return to action as Premier League and Champions League leaders this weekend.
Sitting out Egypt’s games was a sensible call given the Pharaohs had already qualified in the previous international break such clarity of thought is just the latest piece of evidence of how much importance Salah is attaching to his club fortunes as his excellent campaign gets set to resume this weekend at Southampton.
It was last month when Salah held talks with Egypt’s technical director Hossam Hassan about bowing out of the clash with Mauritania over concerns about the artificial pitch in Nouakchott.
Liverpool expressed fears over a potential injury to top scorer prior to that match and with the surface being labelled as “artificial hell” by Egyptian media, it was decided that it was not worth the risk for Salah.
Speaking before the game, Hassan said: “If any player asks me not to play on artificial turf, I will agree. The Mauritanian team plays hard and with violent interventions, and their field is not the best. If Salah specifically asks me to do so, I will agree.”
After a 1-0 win at Stade Cheikha Ould Boidiya, Hassan added: “I respected Salah’s wish because the medical staff at Liverpool were concerned about the possibility of his back and knee injuries recurring due to the artificial turf on the pitch. I prioritised Salah’s health and didn’t want to risk him, especially in these key qualifiers. I must support players and collaborate with their clubs to ensure their long-term fitness.”
Before taking the call to miss the Mauritania game, Salah also opted, of course, to prioritise getting a full pre-season under his belt with Slot and a new-look coaching staff over turning out for Egypt at the Olympic Games.
Having ended last season unhappy and out of form, the option to hit the ground running at the Kirkby base before being part of the summer tour of the United States made more sense from a practical and long-term point of view for Salah rather than trying to win Olympic Gold in Paris with the unfancied Pharaohs as one of their players aged over 23.
With 10 goals and as many assists in the first third of the campaign, and with Liverpool flying in all competitions, it was a pre-season decision that is paying off handsomely and the further calls that have since been taken around international commitments have clearly been informed by the wisdom shown in the summer months.
It has helped a 32-year-old stay injury free, fit and ready and with the busiest period of the campaign now here for Slot’s side, that could yet prove to be imperative to a set of expectations that have perhaps been redefined in recent weeks at Liverpool.
Gently, Salah has now taken three significant decisions over international football that have greatly aided the Liverpool cause and he is clearly viewing his options through a long-term lens now at the age of 32.
But with Slot indicating recently that Salah – helped by such long-term thinking – can play well into his late 30s at this sort of current level, it’s becoming more evident by the week why Liverpool need to resolve this contract impasse. January 1 is fast approaching and the opportunity for other clubs to legally open talks is getting worrying close for many.
