Salah despite leaving Egypt camp, said he is still dreaming of winning AFCON for the first time
By Kehinde Okeowo
Egypt captain, Mohamed Salah, has left the team’s camp at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.
This was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday night by the Egyptian Football Association, where it was also stated that he has returned to the UK to continue his rehabilitation from an injury with his club Liverpool.
However, the statement made it clear that the 31-year-old will return to Cote d’Ivoire if they qualify for the semi-final of the tournament.
“The Egyptian FA announces that Salah will now travel to England to receive treatment with the hope that he will join the Egyptian national team if it qualifies for the semi-finals,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Salah has spoken out for the first time since picking up the hamstring injury at the AFCON.
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The former AS Roma star will miss Egypt’s final group game against Cape Verde on Monday night and their Round-of-16 match should they progress.
He is, however, expected to be fit in time for a quarter-final clash.
Discussing his fitness ahead of the Cape Verde game, Salah told reporters on Sunday: “My injury is still there but the most important thing now is to speak about the game.
“We are very positive, we have great players and a great team, and we just need to fight and see what will happen.”
Salah added: “I would love to win it, absolutely. I have won everything possible but this one not yet.
“At the end of the day, we are not doing great at the moment but we have a fantastic team and a great coach, so we just need to stay focused.
“I believe that with hard work, everything is possible, so we just need to win one game to qualify and we go from there.”
The Pharaohs only have two points so far from their two group games after drawing with Mozambique and Ghana.
