Published 12:21 IST, November 19th 2020
Mo Salah in line to miss THREE Liverpool games following a second COVID-19 positive test
Mo Salah is in line to miss the next three games for Liverpool after testing positive for COVID-19 again. He will remain in Egypt for at least another week.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have been dealt with another major blow after it was revealed that star forward Mo Salah tested positive for COVID-19 again. On Wednesday, the Egypt FA confirmed that Salah had tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time after a test last week had shown that the 28-year-old was infected with the virus. This means that Salah is now set to remain in quarantine for at least another week in Egypt before returning to Merseyside, essentially ruling him out for Liverpool's next three games.
Mo Salah COVID-19 test: Liverpool star tests positive for coronavirus again
On Friday, the Egypt FA confirmed that Mo Salah had tested positive for COVID-19 after the Liverpool forward linked up with his international teammates for the AFCON qualification games. Salah trained with the Egypt national team for three days before his COVID-19 positive test forced him into quarantine. Salah wasn't showing any symptoms of the virus as he missed the two qualifying games against Togo, which Egypt won.
Egyptian Ministry of Health’s head of the COVID-19 committee, Hossam Hosny, remained confident that Salah would have recovered from COVID-19 and that a negative result would allow the African star to return to Liverpool by Thursday. However, on Wednesday, the Egypt FA confirmed that Salah still had the virus. This means that the Liverpool man will have to stay put in Egypt for at least another week, ruling him out of the crunch Premier League clash against Leicester City on Sunday.
Liverpool Fixtures: Mo Salah to miss 3 games due to COVID-19?
With Salah surely set to miss the game against Leicester on Sunday, question marks have been raised over the Liverpool star's availability for the Champions League game against Atalanta at Anfield on Wednesday. Salah may also be a doubt for Liverpool's game against Brighton on Saturday, November 28.
Premier League protocols dictate that a player must remain in quarantine for 10 days following a positive test. The player would then be re-tested on the 10th day, with a negative result meaning they could return to training with the rest of the squad. Reports from Egypt suggest Salah had his first COVID-19 test towards the end of last week meaning that the Leicester game will fall within the 10 days of isolation stipulated by the Premier League.
Salah has already scored 10 goals in 13 appearances for Liverpool this season and is currently the joint-top scorer in the league. Liverpool will also be without defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk for the game against Leicester City on Sunday.
Image Credits - Liverpool Instagram
Updated 12:21 IST, November 19th 2020