Mohamed Salah shuns Liverpool injury advice: Cracks starting to show?

Mohamed Salah shunned Liverpool’s advice to play despite injury for Egypt on Sunday his international manager has revealed.

Quarrels between club sides and their player’s international representatives are a consistent theme of elite-level football.

Instances of players returning from injury before relapsing while away with their national sides are rife and the unrest from their wage-paying managers is understandable.

Leicester City’s James Justin is the latest example, after making his debut for England in their Nations League loss against Hungary the full-back was forced off through injury at half-time.

For manager Brendan Rodgers and his medical department, it has been a long road to get Justin back to full fitness following almost a year out after rupturing his cruciate ligament. While the injuries may not be linked, a break would surely have been the preferred option for his manager.

The Premier League’s elite clubs are not exempt from the headache international duty poses either, with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool the latest to be embroiled in a tug of war with their player as the subject.

Contract rebel Mohamed Salah played in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against teammate Naby Keita and Guinea on Sunday despite sustaining an injury prior to the match, reveals Egypt head coach Ehab Galal.

Salah played the full 90 minutes as Egypt won 1-0 to commence their qualification campaign for 2024’s edition of the biennial tournament hosted by Ivory Coast.

"“Salah was suffering from an injury and played through it,” Galal stated. “He rejected Liverpool’s request for an X-ray before the game and will now undergo it.”Via: This Is Anfield"

Egypt face Ethiopia in their second Afcon qualifier on Thursday with Salah now a doubt for the tie.

The sign of something deeper between Mohamed Salah and Liverpool?

Below the surface this may not be as alarming as it could appear to those concerned with Liverpool. The injury may not be serious, and the scan could have been precautionary.

However, in a worst-case scenario, it could be the early signs of friction between Salah and the club amid an ongoing contract dispute that has already plunged his future into doubt.

The situation bubbling over appears unlikely considering the forward’s personable reputation and obvious respect toward the club which he has won everything on offer to him.

News of the difference in opinion regarding his injury comes after reports emerged that Salah had made a ‘drastic U-turn’ regarding his future on Merseyside.

As per the Mirror, an offer from Barcelona to join upon his contract expiry next season has changed his line of thought from committing to Liverpool in the long-term.

With Sadio Mane seemingly half-way out of the door at Anfield, the Reds faithful can rest easy knowing that Mohamed Salah will be present next season. After that, however, is purely hearsay.