Due to their current injury crisis, Liverpool can be forgiven for wanting to get to the end of the season before regrouping for the 2021/22 campaign. Unfortunately, the Reds could be without one of their star players for the beginning of the upcoming season.
That man is none other than Mohamed Salah, the Merseyside giants' talisman forward and top scorer. Why will he miss the beginning of the 2021/22 term, you might be wondering? The answer is simple: the 28-year-old has been called up to Egypt's preliminary squad for the 2020 Olympics.
Initially scheduled to take place last year, the event in Japan was postponed until this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As is the norm, football will be one of the key categories in the upcoming Olympic Games, with Egypt qualifying for the tournament after winning the Africa U23 Cup of Nations in 2019.
While this competition is usually restricted to under-23 players, three overage selections are permitted, thus clearing the path for Salah's inclusion. There has been ton of speculation as to whether the Liverpool sensation would be called up, with the Pharaohs under-23s coach Shawky Gharib confirming his spot in the roster.
"Egypt U-23 team's preliminary squad will be led by Mohamed Salah and Mohamed El-Shennawy alongside another goalkeeper," Gharib is quoted as saying by Ahram Online (as per Middle-Eastern publication Al Bawaba).
"Salah is currently one of the most important players in the world and it's normal to call him for Egypt's Olympic squad.
"We will start the official talks with Liverpool after the international break next March."
Discussion with his English employers are required as the Tokyo Olympics overlaps the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season. Whether the Merseyside giants will look to prevent him from leaving remains unknown but this is undoubtedly a concern given that the former Roma ace is all but destined to leave the squad for his national team in January 2022 due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
