Liverpool are set to welcome Mohamed Salah back to the club after Egypt finished fourth in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Pharaohs had designs on winning the competition for an eighth time, but were defeated by Senegal in the last four.
A third-place play-off penalty loss against Nigeria on Saturday marked the end of Salah‘s involvement and he will now return to Liverpool before Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Marseille.
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Arne Slot would not be drawn on his plans for Salah’s comeback when speaking to the press on Friday, and the atmosphere between the two men will be intriguing to watch after a very public bust-up last month.
As Liverpool fans prepare to be thrown back into the controversy surrounding their Egyptian King, Virgil van Dijk has outlined what he is expecting to see from his veteran teammate.
Virgil van Dijk expecting Mohamed Salah’s help
Salah was in good form during AFCON, scoring four goals and sending a reminder that he still has plenty to offer Liverpool as well.
The hope will be that distance has done both Salah and Slot good, and the two can now return to having a good and productive relationship.
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Van Dijk certainly seems to be expecting that, with the Dutchman claiming that he anticipates plenty of help from Salah as Liverpool look for a return to form.
“Everyone should look forward to that,” the 34-year-old said of Salah’s re-entrance after Saturday’s draw with Burnley. “With his quality he can win games and have good results.
“Mo is a very important member of our squad on and off the pitch. Unfortunately he couldn’t get to the final of the AFCON but when he is back he needs to help us.”
Surely Arne Slot is living on borrowed time, when will Liverpool pull the trigger?
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Will Salah play against Marseille?
There is no let-up in Liverpool’s January schedule as the Reds head to Marseille in midweek.
Had he had everybody fit and available, there wouldn’t have been as much need for Slot to get Salah straight back in the line-up, but the truth is that he now badly needs his No. 11.
Egypt were in action as recently as Saturday, meaning Sunday is likely to be a day of travel for Salah. With Liverpool players also probably on a day off, a return for everybody on Monday seems very possible.
From there, Liverpool’s doctors and analysts are likely to take over in assessing whether Salah should play again after an intense tournament with his country.
If we were to guess, we’d say the 33-year-old is more likely to make an appearance off the bench on Wednesday, with bigger chance of a place in next weekend’s line-up against Bournemouth if Slot sees fit.
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