Mohamed Salah is about to enter talks with Egypt manager Hossam Hassan about whether or not he wants to be called up for his national team for their pre-AFCON friendly against Nigeria.
The attacker is already going to be absent from Liverpool’s squad for several weeks due to the tournament, which means that Arne Slot will have to rely upon Federico Chiesa to fill his boots.
Indeed, the Dutchman will also have the options of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, but with the latter of the two not yet recovered from his injury, Chiesa is likely to be the one handed the role.
mail iconJoin our newsletter for news & smart analysis.
Experiments with the Reds’ attack have already begun, with Wirtz even being used on the left wing instead of Cody Gakpo in Liverpool’s Champions League win against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
However, as mentioned, in the build-up to AFCON, a friendly between Nigeria and Egypt is set to take place on 8 December, with Hassan wanting to call Salah up despite it not being a competitive fixture.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
This has caused a bit of a stir with Salah’s preference now being shared.
Mohamed Salah would prefer to stay with Liverpool and play against Inter Milan and Brighton
Salah may not have been in the best run of form this season, but since he joined from AS Roma back in 2017, he’s been Liverpool’s star man.
Things are slowly starting to fall into place for him with the Reds’ recent performances proving that the Salah of last season is still within him.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
His performance in the final third has been way below his usual standards, but that doesn’t mean Slot doesn’t want him around, with the Egyptian King also feeling the same way.
That is, according to an update from Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele, who said the following about the pre-AFCON friendly.
The report starts off by saying that Salah is set for ‘crunch talks’ with Egypt’s manager to avoid a similar falling out to last time this happened.
The training camp is set to start on 8 December, but since Liverpool still have some important fixtures at that time, a bit of a stir has been caused.
Egypt do have the ‘right’ to call their captain up, but Steele has shared that Salah would ‘prefer to stay’ at Liverpool rather than leave during a crucial period for a friendly.
Liverpool would also prefer to keep their attacker, with talks between him and Hassan set to take place next week.
Mohamed Salah is much more important to Liverpool than many people think
As mentioned, there’s no hiding from the fact that Salah hasn’t been at his best this season.
The attacker has been a shadow of his former self, and while he may have netted a couple of goals here and there, it’s still not the Salah that fans remember from last term.
Despite all of this, the energy he brings to Liverpool’s attack, coupled with his leadership on the pitch, makes it hard for Slot to drop him, even if Chiesa is in better form.
When he’s on it, he’s one of the best players in the world, but since the Reds have welcomed so many new players through the Anfield doors, everyone is taking time to adjust to one another’s playstyles.
Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz of Liverpool FC pose for a portrait during the official UEFA Champions League 2025/26 portrait session.
Photo by Alex Livesey – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Once things click between Liverpool’s first-team squad, there’s going to be no stopping them.
But until players such as Isak, Salah, and Wirtz can all figure out how to play with one another, it’s going to take some time before we see the best version of Liverpool.