Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists that he will manage the game-time of Mohamed Salah despite a full return to fitness
Jurgen Klopp asserted that it is important to manage the game-time of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah amid return from injury. Salah suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the Egypt national team during the AFCON competition in January.
The 31-year-old enjoyed a short return against Brentford during the 1-4 Premier League win on the 17th of February. He suffered muscular problems and missed more games in the process, only to return last week.
Salah played a cameo in the first leg of the Europa League last 16 clash with Sparta Praha. The 31-year-old played for half an hour in the Premier League showdown between the Reds and Manchester City.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference (h/t Liverpoolfc.com), Klopp insisted that he would not rush Salah despite his importance. He said:
“It’s important that we build up Mo, obviously super-important, but in this game changing at half-time was not necessary or possible [because] we have to deal with changes carefully. So, yeah, he is ready. He is top fit, everything is good now and we don’t have to deal with these kind of things anymore. I’m not sure if he is ready for 90 minutes and I’m not sure we should do 90 minutes, but he’s ready to start so that’s how it is. He would have been ready to start in the last game but then you don’t know for how long it makes sense and that’s always the problem when players come back.”
The Egypt captain’s fitness is crucial for Liverpool as they head into the final stages of the current season. The Reds have already secured the Carabao Cup and pursued success in the Europa League and the FA Cup.
They are also second in the Premier League table behind Arsenal on goal difference with 10 games still to play. Liverpool have suffered from a severe injury crisis since the start of the year, threatening their season’s ambitions.
Mo Salah is ready to start our #UEL last-16 second leg against Sparta Prague but Jürgen Klopp remains unsure whether the No.11 can play the full 90 minutes.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 13, 2024
Salah has continued his prolific form for Liverpool this season despite changes in his style of play. The Egypt captain has relied more on link-up play and creativity over his pace and dribbling to compensate for ageing. He has scored 19 goals and provided 10 assists from 30 matches in all competitions this season.
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Klopp has already rushed Salah once, leading to the muscular injury that sidelined the Egyptian even further. The 56-year-old would want his best attacker to recover completely before playing 90 minutes.
