Egypt manager Rui Vitoria has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa. This comes in the wake of the forward's return to Liverpool due to a hamstring injury.
Mohamed Salah, 31, sustained a hamstring injury during Egypt’s second group game at the Africa Cup of Nations. Following this incident, he is set to return to Merseyside for treatment after Egypt advanced into the knockout stages of the tournament.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp announced this decision following Liverpool's 4-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth on Sunday.
Social media post by Salah's agent sparked controversy
Adding fuel to fire was an update from Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa. On Monday evening ahead of Egypt’s crucial final group game against Cape Verde, Issa took to social media stating that Salah's injury was more severe than initially anticipated and would keep him off-field for three-four weeks.
This contradicted earlier reports from Egypt which suggested that Salah would only miss out on their clash with Cape Verde and potentially a round-of-16 tie before making a comeback in AFCON semi-finals. However, according to Abbas’ update, it appears that Salah won’t be fit enough for play until the finals.
Following Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Cape Verde which secured their qualification into further rounds of the tournament, Vitoria voiced his concerns about these updates being made public by parties other than those directly involved with Egyptian national side.
Vitoria has criticized the external disturbance in handling of injury
Egypt manager Rui Vitoria openly admitted his disapproval regarding how information about player injuries was being handled by external parties such as club managers and agents. He stated he ‘didn’t think it was right’ when explaining why it had been decided for Salah to return back home to Liverpool for treatment.
“I want to take this opportunity to clarify things, Mohamed Salah has an injury, which we learned before this game was a longer-term injury than we first thought, so we have had to prolong the amount of time before he can play again. Before the game we did not want to say anything. Meanwhile, everything was in the control of our excellent medical team.
“Given we were going to have to travel, given the temperatures, given that we were going to be going to a different city, maybe it makes sense that Salah should have a place he can go to recover as quickly as possible.
“We didn’t want to alarm anyone. I didn’t think it was right for Liverpool, via any intermediary, to speak about this, because we had a tremendously important game today. Salah has always been with us. Now this game is over we will find the best solution for the treatment of the player. These are the facts. This is the situation.”
The saga surrounding Salah's injury and his subsequent return to Liverpool has stirred up a controversy involving multiple parties. The Egypt manager's public criticism of Klopp and Abbas Issa highlights the complexities involved in managing player injuries, especially when international duties are at stake. It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold and what impact it will have on Salah’s future performances both for his club and country.
