Mohamed Salah Wants to Play for Egypt at Summer Olympics

It’s been a long and difficult season for Liverpool’s players, and while summer brings with it a chance for some to rest and heal, for many there will be national team commitments that keep them busy through to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

One of those players is likely to be Mohamed Salah, who Egypt intend to include in their Olympics squad with what manager Shawky Gharib says is the player’s blessing—though the timing of the tournament could in the end change the situation.

“We got Salah’s approval for playing at the Olympics before sending the request to Liverpool,” Gharib told Egypt’s ON Sports this week. “We are still in discussions with the Premier League club regarding the tournament’s timing.

“Having experienced players will add strength to the tournament, but the club may reject the request due to their commitments at the same time of the Olympics. We will be facing strong opponents, so calling the senior players will add to our team.”

Egypt don’t expect to announce their final Olympic football team until the 30th of June, and their tournament doesn’t begin until the 22nd of July when they take on Spain. The final of the Olympic football tournament is set for the 7th of August.

The 2021-22 Premier League season is set to kick off a week later, on August 14th, meaning a summer with Egypt would rule Salah out for the entirety of Liverpool’s pre-season and then likely the first week of the season as well.