Arne Slot has confirmed that Mohamed Salah will head to AFCON on December 15, meaning he will be available for the Reds' home game with Brighton in the Premier League.
The first Liverpool match he will be absent for is the trip to Spurs the following week. Salah could be missing for up to eight games in total, though that will depend partly on how far Egypt progresses in the competition.
Salah was dropped to the bench for Liverpool's win over West Ham United at the weekend, when Dominik Szoboszlai moved into his role and Florian Wirtz impressed. Jeremie Frimpong should also be back by the time Salah departs and he too can play there.
"That's a fair assumption and a normal reaction for someone who can play for us," Slot said when asked about how Salah reacted to being taken out of the team at the weekend.
"Of course, a player isn't happy he isn't playing, he wasn't the only one I can tell you. The way he behaved was as you would expect from the professional he is, he was very supportive for his team-mates and handled himself really well.
"You can't play that well every three days if you go with your emotions, but Mo is so disciplined. He will always be that top professional as he was the last few days.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool warms up during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool warms up during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium (Image: 2025 Getty Images)
"Fortunately, the time I have been here, he has been a superhuman being, but all players around the world, there are times at a club where you are human. He's scored so many goals for us and I'm sure he will in the future."
Asked for further clarity of the December 15 date, Slot added: "The way we have worked is that there's a communication between all three: the player, the club, and the country.
"That's nothing new. But FIFA have said December 15 is the last day that the player has to be released."
The AFCON tournament is taking place in Morocco, with the final scheduled for Sunday, January 18. Egypt kicks off its fixtures by facing Zimbabwe on December 22 and will also take on South Africa and Angola.
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Slot has a decision to make on Salah ahead of the game with Sunderland. It is more than possible that he could be on the bench again.
"It's a big compliment for their manager as they brought in a lot of good players," Slot said on the Black Cats. "I saw the game Chelsea vs Arsenal on the way home; two teams working so hard and fighting.
"Then I was aware of the fact Sunderland beat Chelsea away and drew with Arsenal. You can look at the league table to know they're doing well, but those two results show it.
"They are resilient. They have shown great mentality but the style they play and risks they take when not having ball, very high-paced game and players work so hard to get a result. A very hard-working team with a very clear identity."