Despite an underwhelming result at the continental tournament with his national team, Egypt’s forward has returned to his club in high spirits.
Fresh from his national duty, Mohamed Salah is back and ready for a new challenge. Liverpool will field him in their squad as they travel to face Marseille in the Champions League.
The English side take on the French club on Wednesday in Europe’s premier stage, with kickoff scheduled at 2:00 AM Bangladesh time.
Last month, ahead of joining the national team for the Africa Cup of Nations, tensions briefly flared between Liverpool and Salah.
After a dull run of form, Salah had been benched for two of Liverpool’s three matches in early December and featured as a substitute in the other. Frustrated at one point, he even accused the coach of “sacrificing” him, which led to temporary exclusion from the squad.
Coach Arna Slot later expressed his own irritation about the incident at a press conference. But now, all of that appears to be in the past. Following “productive discussions” with Slot, Salah joined his national team, registering an assist in his final game before returning to Liverpool.
Slot has said he had been eagerly awaiting Salah’s return before their last Premier League match. Although Egypt fell in the semi-finals despite Salah scoring four goals, the forward has returned to Liverpool in a positive mood, seen smiling during training on Tuesday.
As a result, the coach had no hesitation including the 33-year-old forward in the upcoming matchday squad.
Liverpool may, however, be without French defender Ibrahima Konaté. He missed Tuesday’s training session and has reportedly returned home for personal reasons, according to ESPN.
Liverpool currently sit 11th in the Premier League with 12 points from six matches, including four wins.
