SAN FRANCISCO, November 18, (THEWILL) – Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has again tested positive for COVID-19. This is coming four days before the English Premier League tie between Liverpool and Leicester at Anfield.
The Egyptian initially tested positive for coronavirus last week while on international duty for Egypt, ahead of an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Togo.
The second test conducted on Wednesday showed Salah still has COVID-19. This will almost certainly rule him out of that clash with table-topping Leicester on Sunday. There is also the possibility that he will not feature in next week’s matches against Atalanta, in the UEFA Champions League, and domestically too against Brighton, under current Government guidelines.
The Egyptian FA statement read:
“Today, Mohamed Salah, the star of the national team and the English club Liverpool, made a new swab to detect the COVID-19 virus, but its result was positive.”
Liverpool, the Premier League champions, have had to contend with a number of coronavirus infections since the start of the season. Players like Sadio Mane, Thiago Alcantara, Xherdan Shaqiri and Kostas Tsimikas have all contracted the virus.
Salah was seen at the wedding of his brother, Nasr, prior to the first positive test and there are videos of him dancing at the event without a mask on.
On Wednesday evening, the Egyptian FA held a ceremony to honour Salah’s achievements with Liverpool, with many of the governing body’s top representatives and national team legends present.
For Liverpool, this has been a costly international break. They will also be without Joe Gomez, who was injured during England training, with the defender joining Virgil van Dijk as a long-term absentee.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
