Football: Soccer-Examinations on Salah’s injury not complete, says Egypt doctor

ABIDJAN (Reuters) – The extent of Mohamed Salah’s hamstring injury and his future participation at the Africa Cup of Nations finals remained uncertain on Friday after Egypt said examinations had not yet been completed.

Salah pulled up with a hamstring strain before halftime in Thursday’s Group B game against Ghana in Abidjan and was due to have a scan on the injury but Egypt doctor Mohamed Abu El-Ela said they had not completed all their investigations.

“The results of the medical examinations he underwent were not completed today and thus the decision on his participation was postponed,” he said.

He said Salah had initially wanted to continue playing in the key game but when the pain became more acute he asked to be taken off.

Salah’s manager at Liverpool, Juergen Klopp, earlier on Friday suggested the injury might be serious, given that Salah was rarely injured or left the field for his club.

“I spoke with him last night and how it was. They are doing further assessments now and then we will know more,” Klopp told reporters.

“At that moment he was shocked and couldn’t see why he was hit by something so intense. You have these hamstring injuries in a different way. He felt it and we know how rarely Mo goes off, or needs to go off, so it is definitely something but I don’t have any more information right now.”

The 31-year-old Salah has missed just 10 league games in six-plus seasons for Liverpool.

Klopp said he was uncertain whether Liverpool’s medical staff would travel to the Ivory Coast to assess the extent of Salah’s injury.

“We will see. It depends on the diagnostics,” he said. “We will have ultrasound and MRI and then we will know what it is and we will see and make plans but it’s too early (at the moment),” he said.

Losing Salah, who is on the cusp of 100 caps for his country, would be a major blow to seven-time cup winners Egypt, who have made a sluggish start to their campaign in the Ivory Coast.

Salah netted a last-gasp penalty on Sunday, after a VAR decision, for Egypt to draw 2-2 with Mozambique in their opening game and escape an embarrassing defeat.

On Thursday, they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Ghana and effectively need a win in their last group game on Monday against the Cape Verde Islands if they are to advance to the last 16.

(Editing by Clare Fallon)