Mohamed Salah: Egypt Manager Makes Bold Prediction Over Liverpool Return

Tension continues to surround the Egypt international after his spat with Arne Slot.

Mohamed Salah is away at AFCON with Egypt. / Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has brushed off talk of a “crisis” for Mohamed Salah at Liverpool as he backed the winger to use his time at the Africa Cup of Nations to rediscover his best form.

Salah endured a difficult start to the 2025–26 season, leading Reds manager Arne Slot to bench him for Premier League games against West Ham United, Sunderland and Leeds United. The winger subsequently claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club and said he doesn’t “have any relationship” with Slot.

Since then, Salah was omitted from the squad entirely for Liverpool’s Champions League win over Inter, and again started on the bench against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, meaning he hasn’t started their last five games across all competitions.

The dramatic fallout has led to rumours that Salah could leave Liverpool in the near future, though any such move would almost certainly have to wait until after AFCON, with Hassan confident Salah can turn things around with his national team.

“Whenever Salah’s performances dip with his club, he regains his strength with the national team and becomes even better, whether by contributing goals or scoring himself. Then he returns to his club even stronger,” Hassan said.

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Hassan: No Crisis for Salah at Liverpool

Hossam Hassan has high hopes for Salah. / Getty/Sayed Hassan

The Egypt boss revealed he had spoken to Salah throughout the public spat and had no concerns about the winger’s mindset.

Hassan continued: “Salah’s morale in training is very high, as if he were just starting out with the national team, and I believe he will have a great tournament with his country.

“I feel his motivation is very, very strong. Salah is an icon and will remain so. He is one of the best players in the world, and I support him in everything he does.”

“I don’t consider what happened to him to be a crisis. These things often happen between players and coaches,” Hassan added.

“We’ve been in contact with him by phone from the beginning, and I met with him when he joined the national team camp. His focus is entirely on the tournament.”

Salah is set on guiding Egypt to a record-extending eighth Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco. Despite his stellar career, the Pharaohs star has yet to lift the trophy, having fallen short in the finals against Cameroon in 2017 and Senegal in 2022.

Egypt kick off their AFCON campaign on Monday, Dec. 22, against Zimbabwe at the Grande Stade d’Agadir in Morocco.

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