Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Mohamed Salah could be in with a chance of featuring in Thursday's Premier League clash with Leicester City, but Sadio Mane will miss out.
Mane scored the winning penalty for Senegal against Salah's Egypt in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, and the participation of both attackers for the midweek game has since been up in the air.
A recent report claimed that Salah could return to Reds action earlier than Mane, and Klopp has now revealed that Liverpool fans could see the 29-year-old back out on the Anfield turf in midweek.
Speaking to liverpoolfc.com, Klopp said: "Mo is now back, I spoke already to him. He is very disappointed of course, but looking forward to all the things coming up here now. I spoke to him and pretty much the first thing Mo told me was: 'I'm ready.' Haha!
"He is an experienced player, he is a physical monster, to be honest, so we have to see. He will obviously have a little recovery session today and we will see how he feels tomorrow and from there we go.
"The proper plan we don't have, play him as often and as long as possible is probably the plan, but we will not rush it. But if he is fine we will not leave him out for the wrong reasons as well, so let's see."
When quizzed about Mane's involvement, Klopp added: "Sadio no chance as he's not even here. Sadio flies out if it's possible on Wednesday night, so will arrive here on Thursday but he is, of course, then not involved in the Leicester game.
"It means the world to him, it means the world to his people, it means the world to Senegal and we respect that a lot and we would never consider to have called back him from there or whatever – let them do what they do in the moment because they deserve it.
"I think both played a great tournament. The responsibility on their shoulders is absolutely [huge] and the pressure on their shoulders is absolutely insane, I don't even have an idea how it must feel in these moments, they carry pretty much a whole country.
"We have text a little bit here and there but he is still in Africa, still in Senegal, celebrating and we will see – Wednesday night or something like that we will send him out. But yes, it was obviously a big tournament and meant the world to him."
Salah netted two goals and set up one more for Egypt at the tournament and returns to Liverpool aiming to build on a tally of 23 strikes and nine assists from 26 games in all competitions this term.
Ben Knapton
