Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp revealed on Tuesday that forward Mohamed Salah is feeling frustrated after Egypt lost the Africa Cup of Nations final, while noting his return to the Premier League club in preparation for the match against Leicester City on Thursday. Salah's Liverpool teammate Sadio Mané led Senegal to its first Africa Cup of Nations title on Sunday after defeating seven-time champion Egypt 4-2 on penalties in Cameroon.
While Mané has not yet returned to Liverpool after traveling to Senegal to celebrate the title, Klopp stated that Salah might return to the starting lineup against Leicester at Anfield. Klopp told Liverpool's website: "Mo is back now. He's very frustrated, of course, but we're looking forward to all the things waiting for us here now. I spoke to him, and the first thing he told me was, 'I'm ready.' He's an experienced player and a physical beast, to be honest, so we have to wait and see. He'll have a small recovery session, and we'll see how he feels on Wednesday, and from there we start."
The German coach mentioned that Mané is set to return to Liverpool on Thursday. Mané scored the decisive penalty in the shootout, and the team received a hero's welcome upon returning to Senegal on Monday. Klopp added: "This means a lot to him and his people, and it means a lot to Senegal, and we respect that greatly. We would never think of calling him back from there. Let them do what they are doing right now because they deserve it."
Liverpool is currently in second place in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Manchester City, while Leicester is sitting in tenth place.
