Liverpool star man Mohamed Salah could miss the start of 2020/21 Premier League season

Liverpool could find themselves without talisman Mohamed Salah for the start of next season, after his nation Egypt booked their place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Egypt will be present at the Olympics – which will run from July 22 to August 8 next year – after becoming eligible for a spot with their progression to the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations final, on home soil. 

This is where a possible conundrum comes in for Liverpool, with Salah eligible to head to Asia and represent his nation if selection. The dates of the tournament would see Salah not only miss the Reds’ pre-season but also the start of their domestic charge.

Given that Olympic football is organised around the youth of nations, each competing side are able to include three players over the age of 23 in their squad.

Salah, 27, who is the driving force on the field for his nation, would of course be an instant pick though would be needed to be convinced to play.

Given the pressure that was on Salah’s shoulders during the summer as Egypt failed to win the African Cup of Nations at home, the Liverpool man may be inclined to participate in hope of winning silverware for his homeland. 

Salah is a driving force for the national team and Egypt would naturally want to select him

Egypt Under-23 coach Shawky Gharib recently outlined his awe of national icon Salah

Salah’s relationship with the national team remains complicated however, with the player on previous occasions showing publicly his unhappiness with how he is treated.

Last month Salah became embroiled in a fresh row with the Egyptian FA after they failed to vote for him in FIFA’s Best awards.   

Salah, who finished fourth in the men’s Best Player award, raised alarms of a possible withdrawal from Egypt’s team after removing all references on his social media accounts.

Egypt Under-23 coach Shawky Gharib recently outlined his awe of Salah, following Egypt’s qualification for the games, but would not be pressed on the subject of whether the Liverpool star would be an automatic selection.

‘As an Egyptian, I’m so proud of what he [Salah] is doing with Liverpool, he is an amazing player and makes the whole nation proud,’ said Gharib.

‘But it is too early to talking about whether I will pick him to be with us in Tokyo 2020. I will think about the players that my team will need and then I will announce.’