Egypt could include Mohamed Salah in the Olympics squad and Liverpool will have the power to block it
As per the Liverpool Echo, Egypt could call Mohamed Salah to play in the Olympics next summer and Liverpool would have the power to block that move.
This has the making of a club versus country rift when the squad announcement will be made. Egypt U23s boss Rogerio Micale has said that he would consider selecting Salah as an overage player for that tournament (via Ahram Online, via Liverpool Echo).
Salah is anyway set to miss a handful of games in the middle of the 2023/24 season as there is an AFCON scheduled in January and February in Ivory Coast.
The Liverpool superstar lost the final with Egypt the last time when he had to meet his former club mate Sadio Mane in the final.
While the AFCON is an important tournament regardless of its odd timing, the Olympics in the summer does not garner that level of importance.
So, as mentioned in the report, Liverpool will be within their right to block Salah from representing Egypt in the latter. The backlash of it might be huge, but we have to remember it is the club that pays the wages for a player. They can have some control over where he plays to an extent.
That is all for what is to come. Let’s hope the 31-year-old comes back for the pre-season with a determination to right the wrongs of last season and lead Liverpool’s attack to greater heights next season. Not that he was below par by any standards in 2022/23 by the way.
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A Salah masterclass in the first half of the season would set the team up nicely during the period he will playing for Egypt in the AFCON.