Graeme Souness urges Liverpool to do what they can to stop Mohamed Salah rejoining Egypt

22/01/2024 18:56

Graeme Souness believes Liverpool need to do all they can to stop Mohamed Salah linking back up with Egypt.

The 31-year-old picked up a back injury as well as a hamstring problem during a 2-2 draw with Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday and will return to Liverpool for treatment.

Heading back to AFCON in the Ivory Coast is a possibility with Egypt hopeful he could be available later in the knockout stage should they still be in the tournament.

Asked if the Liverpool forward would go back to AFCON should Egypt progress, Jurgen Klopp said: “I would say if Egypt qualifies for the final, if he’s fit before the final, then probably yes.”

Though speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Souness says the club must stop the player from heading back.

Souness said on White and Jordan: “Jurgen Klopp is employed by Liverpool, and his job is to do the very best for the football club.

“For Liverpool, they need to get Salah back and fit, and then he does not go back to Africa.

“He is playing the game there, Jurgen; he has to do it, making all the right noises.

“It is the classic thing of club against country. Hamstrings are the worst injuries; that is the injury that players hate.

“The great Bob Paisley would say that is a six-weeker or eight-weeker when you talk about hamstrings.

“I only had one in my life because I was never accused of being a sprinter.

“What they can do to you is you have your rest period, two weeks or three weeks, you come back and train a couple of weeks, and then say you’re ready.

“Then ten minutes into a game, you go whack and it goes again, so they are the injuries that really confuse a player and medics, as you don’t know whether it is 100 per cent.

“As a Liverpool supporter, I don’t want him to go back.”