Mohamed Salah boost for Liverpool as Olympics is postponed by a year
It was earlier reported that Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah could be in line to miss a significant chunk of the season due to his international commitments at the Summer Olympics and the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Reds have caught a break with the former tournament being postponed. According to the Mirror, the Reds will not have to deal with a four-month absence of their swashbuckling Egyptian.
Egypt was keen on winning the gold medal and was hell-bent on adding the player to the roster. Although an Under-23 tournament, the competition allows for three overage players to be added, with Salah being one of them.
For now, the Africa Cup of Nations remains the only cause of concern for the Reds with respect to their African superstars.
With the Olympics now rescheduled for next summer, the 27-year-old won’t miss too much of next season. He will, however, see his preparations for the 2021/22 campaign interrupted.
It remains to be seen how the coronavirus pandemic will affect the current and subsequent campaigns. It is too early to determine how long the Egyptian could be absent for.
An unhelpful schedule
As of now, there is no change in next season’s Africa Cup of Nations. Liverpool will be greatly affected by not just the loss of Salah but also his partner in crime, Sadio Mane.
The situation could get worse if Guinea also qualifies for the tournament, leading to the loss of Naby Keita. It is a situation that looks likely given the country is currently on top of Group A in qualification.
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Salah has been a revelation since making the move to Anfield. The prolific Egyptian has scored 91 goals and 37 assists in 144 appearances. He played a major role in Liverpool’s run to successive Champions League finals. He scored in the latter as the Reds won their sixth European crown.
