Egypt ‘Sure’ Injured Salah Can Play World Cup

The Egyptian Football Association is “optimistic” Mohamed Salah will be able to play in the World Cup, after he suffered what Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp called a “really serious injury” in Saturday’s Champions League final defeat.

Salah sprained ligaments in his left shoulder, according to the Egyptian FA, which said national team doctor Mohammed Abulela had been informed by Liverpool’s medical team. Liverpool did not publicly confirm the extent of the injury on Saturday.

Salah, 25, left the pitch in tears when he was forced to come off injured in the 29th minute after landing awkwardly on his left shoulder following a duel with Sergio Ramos. He tried to continue but went down to the turf once again four minutes later in obvious pain and pointing to his left shoulder, before he was replaced by Adam Lallana.

The Egyptian FA wrote on Twitter that the organisation was “optimistic” he could return for the World Cup, which starts in less than three weeks.

Egypt expect him to be sidelined for about two weeks, according to the Egyptian government’s minister of state for youth and sports, Khaled Abd Elaziz, who wrote on Facebook that Salah was still likely to be named in the team’s final squad, which will be announced June 4.

Salah, who boarded Liverpool’s team bus after the 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid with a sling on his left arm, will remain with Liverpool before joining up with his national team in Italy, the minister wrote.

“It’s a serious injury, a really serious injury,” Klopp said in his postmatch news conference. “He is in the hospital for an X-ray. It’s either the collarbone or the shoulder itself. It doesn’t look good, that’s it.”