Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool must be cautious with Mohamed Salah’s hamstring injury, as the manager considers giving his top scorer his first start since New Year’s Day at Sparta Prague on Thursday.
Salah has played only 45 minutes since scoring twice in a 4-2 win against Newcastle United on January 1, due to a muscle injury sustained while on international duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in a 2-2 tie with Ghana later that month.
The 19-goal top scorer recovered from that condition in February’s 4-1 win against Brentford, but the injury resurfaced during his second-half cameo, and Liverpool has been cautiously managing his recovery since.
Salah has travelled with the squad that will face Sparta Prague in the Europa League’s last 16 on Thursday night, and while Klopp is delighted to have his striker available for selection again, the Reds manager has hinted that he may not be thrust back into action right away, with Manchester City visiting Anfield on Sunday in a top-of-the-table clash.
“Mo Salah has travelled,” Klopp explained. “He’s with us and has trained for two days; he’s full of energy, we’ll see. But it’s great that he’s back. It’s quite excellent, and you can see it on his face.
“It was a very improbable circumstance to be out for so long and then return against Brentford, play a wonderful game, and then be out again, so that is how it is.
“We want to be careful; we must be careful. But we’re in the midst of a really hectic stretch of the season, and we need everyone. So let’s see how long we can use him and such things. Yes, it’s simply excellent news.
Salah’s recovery has boosted the chance of a call-up for Egypt later this month, despite Liverpool’s plea that he be left out of their match against New Zealand on March 22.
Klopp recognizes that the situation is beyond his control, saying, “That has nothing to do with us, basically. This will be decided by many departments. Let’s see how long he can play for. He has barely spent two days in team training. In a separate circumstance, players are not currently in the squad, but the situation is becoming clearer.
“What can you give them?” How frequently can you use them? And then there are these two games with Egypt, which are completely out of my control. We are not involved. Let me put it this way: you can have discussions in other departments.
