Jurgen Klopp has admitted he isn’t sure when Liverpool will lose Mohamed Salah to Africa Cup of Nations duty.
The forward is set to captain Egypt at January’s tournament in Ivory Coast, with the competition getting underway on January 13, and the final taking place on February 11
Salah is currently scheduled to miss Liverpool’s trip to AFC Bournemouth as a result on January 21
Salah could also sit out Premier League clashes with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Burnley depending on Egypt’s progres
Should the Reds reach the League Cup semi-finals and FA Cup fourth round, the forward would likely miss those ties too.
Salah could potentially be available for Liverpool’s FA Cup third round trip to Arsenal on January 7 depending on when he is required to report for international duty.
Klopp admitted it hasn’t yet been decided when Salah will join up with Egypt when asked about the forward’s looming absence
Klopp revealed he hopes to have welcomed Diogo Jota back from a muscle injury to help compensate for the 31-year-old’s international excursions
Klopp
“No, I didn’t think about it to be honest and I can’t change it anyway,” he told reporters. “I have no real plans for it. It’s January, right? I hope Diogo is back then.
“I didn’t think about it (January) yet. Probably (he’ll be available for Arsenal in the FA Cup). I’m not sure when the official date is to give the boys.
“December is a really tricky month. You’re happy when you get through it and then you start thinking about all the rest. We cannot avoid it anyway.
“Whatever I can say, if Egypt and Mo decide he has to go on the second, third, or fourth of January. I’m pretty sure Mo wants to play the game but I’m not sure we can make that decision.”
Klopp will still be able to call upon Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, and Jota in January.
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