Mohamed Salah makes Olympics decision in Liverpool pre-season update
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has turned down the chance to feature for Egypt at the Olympics, according to The Mirror.
Writing on their website (4 July), Salah has decided not to join the Egypt squad and instead make himself available to Arne Slot for the full pre-season schedule.
This is welcome news to Slot who will take the time to assess the squad in pre-season before deciding on players’ futures.
Egypt Olympics manager Rugero Micali had been hopeful of persuading Salah to represent his national team in Paris.
“We’re still awaiting the outcome of communication with Salah and his club Liverpool through the Egyptian Football Association,” he said to winwin.com (May, 20). “We definitely want him with us. I wish Salah could play with us at the Olympics.”
The Egyptian will report back to Liverpool for the start of pre-season this weekend.
Salah looking to impress in final year of Liverpool contract
The future of Salah at Liverpool is far from set in stone.
Last year the club rejected a £150m bid from Al-Ittihad (BBC Sport, 1 September 2023) for their main-man in a summer where Jordan Henderson and Fabinho departed for Saudi Arabia.
Salah has entered the final year of his contract and is the club’s top earner at £350,000 per week.
The 32-year-old was a shadow of his former self last season, he only scored four and assisted two goals in the league (TransferMarkt) following his return from the hamstring injury suffered at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
He matched his lowest goal contribution amount since the 2019/20 season.
But with 25 goals and 11 assists for 36 goal contributions in 44 matches, it is still an incredible record, tarnished by poor form in the second half of the season.
Liverpool fans are left wondering what could have been as the side faltered at the business end of the season.
Salah’s decision to return to club commitments is a testament to his determination to impress Slot.
At the end of the season he will be 33-years-old and history tells that the Reds don’t offer long-term contracts to players over 30, just look at Georginio Wijnaldum (The Express, 16 December 2020).
Regardless of what happens to Salah, the club’s third record all-time goalscorer will leave behind a legacy, one he seems determined to continue past the 2024/25 season.
In other Liverpool news, Arne Slot has tough Liverpool transfer decision to make after what Alisson did.
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