Mohamed Salah decision made as Liverpool forward left out of Egypt squad

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Liverpool Echo IconSportFootballLiverpool FCMohamed Salah was left out of the Egypt matchday squad for their friendly clash with Nigeria after linking up with international team-mates following Liverpool's win over BrightonMohamed Salah has again been left out of a matchday squad. But it's not in anywhere near as dramatic circumstances as his recent dropping from Liverpool’s travelling party for their trip to Inter Milan.Salah has found himself out of the Reds’ starting XI in recent weeks with his last start coming in the 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven at the end of last month.

Arne Slot subsequently benched the forward for his side’s clashes with West Ham United, Sunderland and Leeds United.And while the 33-year-old was introduced at half-time against the Black Cats, he was left unused against both the Hammers and the Peacocks.READ MORE: Liverpool could be without seven players vs Tottenham as Arne Slot dealt double injury blowREAD MORE: When I return to Liverpool I want to be first choice - and win the Champions LeagueWith Liverpool conceding a 96th-minute equaliser in the latter, Salah sent shockwaves after stopping in the mixed zone following the game as he shared his discontent with his situation.The Egyptian hit out at Slot and the club, claiming his relationship with his head coach had completely broken down, that he was being ‘thrown under the bus’ and even suggested that last weekend’s clash with Brighton & Hove Albion could prove to be his last for the club.He was subsequently dropped for the trip to Inter Milan, though was recalled to the Reds squad for the meeting with the Seagulls after amicable talks with Slot on Friday.Despite being named on the bench again against Brighton, Salah still made a decisive impact after being introduced midway through the first half. In a lively showing, he assisted Hugo Ekitike for Liverpool’s second goal in their 2-0 win, breaking the record for most goal contributions for a single club in Premier League history in the process.Regardless of his spat with Slot, the game with Brighton was always going to be the Egyptian’s last outing for the Reds of the calendar year due to the Africa Cup of Nations.Salah is set to captain Egypt at this year’s tournament in Morocco, and has now linked up with his international team-mates.However, after missing training on Monday, he was understandably not named in the Pharaohs' squad for their warm-up friendly against Nigeria on Tuesday night.As a result, his absence from a starting XI for club and country now stretches to his last six matches.However, that will almost certainly change next week when the Africa Cup of Nations gets underwayEgypt will kick-start their campaign on Monday when they take on Zimbabwe, before locking horns with South Africa on Boxing Day.

Their final group game is against Angola on Monday, December 29.Salah will miss Liverpool’s clashes with Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves as a result, and would likely also miss the visit of Leeds to Anfield on New Year’s Day even if Egypt suffered a group-stage exit.Should the Pharaohs’ progress in the tournament, with the final taking place on January 18, Salah could miss up to a further five club matches with Liverpool travelling to Fulham and Arsenal before hosting Barnsley and Burnley, ahead of their penultimate Champions League league phase fixture away at Marseille on January 21.