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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Samuel Meade

Mohamed Salah joins up with Egypt squad after Liverpool blocked initial call-up

Mohamed Salah has joined up with his Egypt team-mates ahead of their World Cup qualifier in Gabon.

The Liverpool star is one of several players leaving Anfield to jet across the globe during the international break.

The state of the pandemic varies in different countries and there had been concerns expressed about quarantine rules once players returned to the UK.

Egypt remain on the red list meaning Salah would've had to self-isolate for 10 days upon landing in England.

However his country are playing in Gabon, who are on the amber list.

Liverpool were more relaxed about the forward heading to the African country, having originally denied requests for Salah - as well as Brazil trio Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino - to leave on international duty due to self-isolation protocols.

Mo Salah has joined up with his Egypt team-mates (SIPA USA/PA Images)

The Reds were one of several Premier League sides to stop their players travelling for the current round of games.

Klopp outlined his views recently and said: “If you come back from a red list country, you have to quarantine for 10 days in a hotel – not a hotel of your choice, a hotel somebody tells you [to go to], next to the airport or whatever.

“It’s not even close to being a spa hotel, it’s eating and waiting and sleeping and stuff like this.

“As the clubs, we cannot do that. Not only because we play games in that time when they come back, but without being positive [for COVID-19], they lose 10 days of training.

“In 10 days – you can ask whoever you want: a doctor, a sports scientist – without any chance of moving, you lose muscle. That’s how it is, atrophy.

“Then you come back and it’s not only 10 days, you have to start training, you have to do different stuff, and it’s a real risk for the boys, then, if they have to play three, four, five days after 10 days’ quarantine.

“So that’s the problem we had. It’s not that we said ‘we do it like this’, it’s just the government didn’t give an exemption for football players – even when they are fully vaccinated – so the situation is like it is.

“We cannot change it, but then [if it changes] then, of course, the players can go.”

Liverpool face a busy September with games against Leeds, AC Milan, Crystal Palace, Norwich, Brentford and Porto in the space of 17 days.

The Reds will already be without Firmino, who picked up an injury in their last league game against Chelsea.

Takumi Minamino also finds himself on the treatment table.

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