Mohamed Salah’s wait for an Africa Cup of Nations title will continue after the Liverpool superstar failed to lead Egypt beyond the semi-finals.
In truth the Pharaohs had done well to reach the final four of the competition, with Salah a key reason for their progression to the latter stages.
However, just as they were in the 2022 final, Egypt were beaten by Senegal on Wednesday evening to end their hopes of an eighth title.
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Sadio Mane pats the Champions League trophy after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the final at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid (Credit: Getty Images/Jose Breton/NurPhoto).
Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring for Liverpool against Southampton in the Premier League at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Julian Finney).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Julian Finney
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For Salah, it was another cruel blow at the hands of former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane. Mane scored the trophy-winning penalty in 2022 and was the match-winner once again four years later.
With Salah now out of the competition, the conversations surrounding his Liverpool future are set to start up once again. But as he prepares to put his full focus back on domestic matters, will the 33-year-old be available for the Reds’ Premier League clash against Burnley on Saturday?
Mohamed Salah set to play third-place play-off with Egypt
Given their injury struggles right now, Liverpool would likely love to have Salah back and ready to play on Saturday.
Whatever their problems before he left for international duty, Arne Slot really needs senior attackers right now and it feels probable that Salah will come straight back in upon his return.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane embrace at the final whistle of the Africa Cup of Nations match between Egypt and Senegal
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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However, that comeback will not arrive on Saturday, with Egypt still scheduled to play one more match at AFCON 2026.
Salah and his teammates will take part in the dreaded third-place play-off against Nigeria on the same day. As a result, Liverpool’s No. 11 will not be back to face Burnley.
The Reds’ next match comes away at Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday, and that feels like a more likely first game back for Salah.
Gut feeling, has Mohamed Salah played his last game for Liverpool? If yes, how do you feel about it?
421 appearances
250 goals
114 assists
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Is there a chance Salah leaves in January?
Before he left for Morocco, all the talk surrounding Salah was that he may have played his final game for Liverpool.
Since then, it is hard to get a proper read on the situation. While he has been away with Egypt, the Liverpool legend has not made any reference to his future at club level.
Keen to keep focus on the job at hand for his national team, Salah has kept his head down in order to limit distracting headlines during the tournament.
Now that Egypt’s involvement is over, though, we may begin to get more of an idea about how discussions between Liverpool and Salah’s representatives have developed over the past month.
For now, it feels unlikely that he will be on the move in the coming two-and-a-bit weeks of the transfer window. Instead, we’d fully expect him to report back for duty and be available for Wednesday’s trip to France.
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