Jurgen Klopp says Mohamed Salah is prepared to start for Liverpool in their FA Cup clash against Manchester United on Sunday.
Salah has not been in the starting lineup since the 4-2 victory over Newcastle United on New Year’s Day due to a hamstring injury he suffered early in Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in January. The 32-year-old briefly returned as a substitute in the win over Brentford last month – scoring a goal and giving an assist – but missed the next four games as the club’s medical staff were cautious about his return.
Salah came off the bench in the recent thrashing of Sparta Prague,
and played the final 29 minutes in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City. Liverpool will host Sparta in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie on Thursday night. They have already secured their spot in the next round after a 5-1 win away from home last week.
The Reds will then head to Old Trafford with a chance to reach the final four of the FA Cup, and Salah is ready to be called upon.
‘It’s possible that he could have played longer in the last game [against City], but it was just the game and the situation,’ Klopp said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Salah’s last start for his club was on New Year’s Day (Picture: Getty)
‘Yes, he is ready. He is in top condition, everything is good now, and we don’t have to manage these kind of issues anymore. I’m not certain if he is ready for 90 minutes, and I’m not sure if we should play him for 90 minutes, but he is ready to start, that’s the situation.
‘He would have been ready to start in the last game, but then it's uncertain how long it's reasonable, and that's always the problem when players return.
‘I can’t recall a game where I thought, ‘Mo Salah cannot play, no problem.’ It has never taken place, so it's not ideal to not have him, but there was a game last Sunday, and there are 10 more Premier League games, and hopefully many more cup and European games. They are all important, and Mo was completely okay with that.
‘Would he have liked to play a bit longer? Probably, yes, but I can't make decisions before the game about when we do what and such things. But he is ready to start.
‘Should that then be 90 minutes on the field? That depends on how it looks at that moment, but we all know Mo usually can play game after game after game.
‘Now he was out for a surprisingly long time, but now he is back, and we must ensure that we can truly rely on him consistently again.’
While Klopp may be able to call upon Salah again, Liverpool are still without Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip, and Thiago Alcantara.
The Reds will travel to Old Trafford for an FA Cup quarter-final clash this weekend.
