Mohamed Salah has suffered a ‘proper tear in his hamstring’, according to Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders.
The 31-year-old was substituted at half-time of Egypt’s 2-2 draw against Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations last Tuesday.
Salah watched on from the stands as his teammates secured qualification for the knockout round with another 2-2 draw against Cape Verde on Monday.
But Lijnders revealed Salah will head back to the UK this week to begin his rehabilitation and expects the star to be out of action for up to a month.
“It’s expected he will return in three to four weeks if everything goes smooth,” said Lijnders.
“It will go smooth and it will go right because of how we’ve treated his body before.”
Liverpool revealed Salah’s injury was worse than first feared but said he will be ‘treated with a view to being back in action as soon as possible for club and country, giving him the best chance to return to compete at AFCON’.
Egypt return to action on Sunday when they face the Group F runners-up with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
But the 2022 runners-up will have one eye on going one better this time round and lifting the trophy, with or without their talismanic skipper.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told reporters on Sunday that it makes sense for Salah to do his rehab at the club with the view to him returning to AFCON should Egypt make the final.
Meanwhile Lijnders heaped praise on the joint efforts of Egypt and Liverpool’s medical team in their pursuit of Salah’s return to fitness.
“I always said before what I’m really happy about is the medical team of Egypt and the medical team of Liverpool really worked together and were in close contact and both made this decision,” said Lijnders.
“It’s an example of how international football and club football should operate to put the player in the centre.”
The final of the Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 11.
