When you are a good and popular player, everyone wants you to play for their team, this is also applied to Mohamed Salah as he is included in a provisional 50-man squad to compete for the prestigious summer Olympics in Tokyo, this July.<\/p>\n
Reuters said that if Salah travel to Tokyo, Liverpool could be forced to start Premier League 2020\/2021 season without their Egyptian pharaoh.<\/p>\n
But Egyptian Olympic team coach Shawky Gharib said the decision is still up to the player and the club.<\/p>\n
“Salah’s participation with Egypt in Tokyo is a decision to be taken only by Salah, his club Liverpool and his coach Jurgen Klopp,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We cannot force Salah to participate with us because FIFA regulations do not compel him to participate.”<\/p>\n
However, coach Gharib still hopes Salah could play for the tournament.<\/p>\n
“Salah is one of the top three players in the world and any team hopes to have a player of his capabilities and skills in the squad … I have chosen Salah in an expanded list of 50 players to select 18 players heading to Tokyo.<\/p>\n
“The final list that will include 18 players will be sent next June, so it is too early to talk about the names of the 18 players.”<\/p>\n
Salah could fill in the spot as three over-age players are allowed in each squad for the U-23 tournament.<\/p>\n
FIFA has long acknowledged that clubs are not obliged to release over-age players for the Olympics.<\/p>\n
The problem lies toward how Salah could be allow to play in the Olympics, and have an ample time to rest before the new Premier League season.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Premier League announced that the 2020\/2021 season will kick-off on Aug 8, while Olympic football will begin on July 22 until Aug 8.<\/p>\n
If Egypt are through to the final, Salah will definitely missed the first Premier League, and few more games to let him rest. It’s either Klopp let him go or not.<\/p>\n
Other solution could be signing a new player as a cover, since Liverpool did not sign a single player this season, until Takumi Minamino joined in January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"