Mohamed Salah Wanted by Egypt for Delayed Olympics in Summer 2021

Egypt Olympic team coach Shawky Gharib has reiterated his desire to call up Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Gharib had previously confirmed back in February that he had included Salah - who was involved at the 2012 Olympic Games with Egypt - in his provisional squad for the summer games in Tokyo.

However, the Egypt Under-23 coach did further admit that ultimately, the final decision on whether he would participate at the Games would be made by Salah himself, as well as by Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

Salah is a key figure for Egypt | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Of course, with the games being pushed back as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, this has led to a great deal of uncertainty regarding a number of matters. However, Gharib has now once again reiterated his desire for Salah to be one of his nation's three overage players at the Tokyo Games, which is now scheduled for 23 July to 8 August 2021.

"The team's technical staff and the Egyptian Football Association have the desire to call up Mohamed Salah for the Olympics," Gharib said at a news conference (via Ahram Online) on Tuesday ahead of the U-23 squad's upcoming training camp.

"Salah is a world class player and I hope that he will be able to play with us in the Olympics. When you have such a player in your team, the objectives of the team would be different.

"Brazil won the gold medal in Rio De Janeiro thanks to Neymar who led the Brazilian team in this competition."

While no final decision has yet been made, it could be pose an awkward situation for Liverpool to see Salah take part in the Olympics next summer, with his preparation for the 2021/22 Premier League season disturbed.

Of course, the next Africa Cup of Nations tournament is due to begin in January 2022, and Salah is expected to be one of the players who will take part in the competition. While this is still some way down the road for Liverpool, they will be looking to strike an agreement with his nation relatively quickly in order to avoid any late drama or confusion.

Salah was on target last time out | Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images

Salah has made another typically strong start to the 2020/21 season, with nine goals and one assist to his name already. The 28-year-old created one and scored one himself most recently against Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday, helping the Reds to a very comfortable 5-0 win.


Source : 90min