Mohamed Salah has been left out of Egypt’s squad for the upcoming international break. The player and Liverpool are said to have requested his exclusion.

Mohamed Salah has been left out of Egypt’s squad for the upcoming international break.

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has confirmed Mohamed Salah requested to be left out of his national team’s squad for the upcoming international break. That request is set to be ‘reluctantly’ granted.

The Liverpool star will remain on Merseyside as next week’s break gets underway. Egypt faces New Zealand in Abu Dhabi before another game against either Tunisia or Croatia.

Salah made his return from injury last week, coming off the bench during the Europa League victory over Sparta Prague before doing the same in the draw with Manchester City, producing a devastating through-ball that deserved to be an assist. The 31-year-old hasn’t made a start for the Reds since New Year’s Day, having returned from the Africa Cup of Nations early through injury.

A row erupted between club and country after Salah flew back to Liverpool for treatment after picking up an issue during Egypt’s second game at the tournament. It had been hoped he would be able to report back later in the competition, only for the Pharaohs to be knocked out in the last-16 by DR Congo.

Salah made his initial return from injury against Brentford last month, only to suffer another setback that kept him out of subsequent games. He has been able to feature from the bench over the last couple of games, including Sunday’s 1-1 draw, but he will play no part in the upcoming international break now.

It was confirmed earlier in the week that Salah had been left out of Egypt’s squad for their upcoming friendlies. According to the Daily Mail, Salah played a key role in the decision, having reportedly pleaded with his nation to put his long-term fitness ahead of their immediate needs.

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Egypt head coach Hassan has now confirmed Salah’s involvement in the decision. He explained that the player and Liverpool made a joint request.

“Salah is an irreplaceable asset to the national team, and his presence in the squad adds value to players. We had hoped for his participation,” Hassan told reporters in Cairo (via The New Arab).

“We cannot force a player to join the team… [And] we do not want to jeopardize his full performance following his injury,” Hassan added.

Hassan’s comments come after Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Ashraf Sobhy, explained the decision to leave Salah out of the squad. “[Salah] is adhering to a rehabilitation regimen and gradually returning to match fitness. That is why there is no necessity to call him up while he is not fully fit,” Sobhy told ONSport Radio.

“After discussions with [the national team’s head coach], Hossam Hassan, we agreed that he should stay with his club, [Liverpool].”

Liverpool.com says: Common sense has thankfully prevailed. Obviously, Egypt would always want Salah in their ranks considering he is their best player, but there really is no need to risk his fitness for a couple of friendlies.

It might well lead to more animosity between club and country, following on from his early return from AFCON in January, but it’s clearly what is best for the player. Salah realizes that too, and has clearly had some say in the decision.