This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Egypt’s U23 coach has said he will take his time in deciding whether to select Mohamed Salah for the Tokyo Olympics next year, after the Pharaohs qualified for the tournament.
What did he say?
The north African nation qualified for the Olympic games after reaching the final of the U23 African Cup on Nations on home soil.
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Now, Shawky Gharib has said that is too soon to confirm whether he will select the 27-year-old, but it is a decision he will think about. He explained: “As an Egyptian, I’m so proud of what he [Salah] is doing with Liverpool, he is an amazing player and makes the whole nation proud.
“But it is too early to be talking about whether I will pick him to be with us in Tokyo 2020. I will think about the players that my team will need and then I will announce.”
Common sense must prevail
From an Egyptian point of view, there must be a huge temptation to include the former AS Roma man in the squad next summer. The Olympics, after all, is amongst the biggest sporting events on the planet, and Salah is easily the most famous Egyptian sportsperson. Not only that, but his presence in the team would surely be a boost for the players surrounding him.
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In regards to the 67-cap man himself, though, it would be dangerous to take him to Tokyo. Over the past two seasons, Salah has barely stopped. Since the start of the 2017/18 campaign, he has played in all but four Premier League and Champions League games, whilst he has also appeared for his country both in the World Cup in 2018 and in the African Cup of Nations a few months ago.
He has been suffering with an ankle injury since the match against Leicester City in October, and is a doubt to face Crystal Palace. It appears that the amount of football he is already playing is catching up with him.
If the £135m-valued winger – as per Transfermarkt – were to play next summer, that would mean starting his campaign at the end of July, and would also mean he would miss half of pre-season with Liverpool as well. At what point will common sense prevail? When will Salah be given the rest he needs to continue performing at the highest level?
2020 would be the only summer when he could have an extended break until 2024, providing Egypt qualify for both the African Cup of Nations in 2021 and 2023, and the World Cup in 2022. That is not beyond the realms of possibility.
It would be careless to take him to Japan next summer. Let’s hope his condition and well-being is taken into consideration.
In other news, one man will make a milestone appearance for the Reds against Crystal Palace, and he deserves legendary status that he often isn’t credited with.