Lijnders clears up Mo Salah injury confusion and hits back at criticism of Liverpool forward - 'a proper tear'

Pep Lijnders has provided an update on Mo Salah after the forward returned to Liverpool for treatment.

Salah has flown back to Merseyside from representing Egypt at the African Cup of Nations. The 31-year-old suffered an injury - confirmed to be a torn hamstring rather than a back problem - in a 2-2 draw against Ghana last week and could be sidelined for between 3-4 weeks.

The plan is for Salah to regain fitness under Liverpool's supervision before returning to AFCON should Egypt still be in the tournament. They have qualified for the knockout stage after a 2-2 draw against Cape Verde secured second spot in Group B.

Salah's decision to return to Liverpool from the Ivory Coast has drawn criticism from some quarters in his homeland for leaving the national team. Pharaohs legend Ahmed Hassan claimed he should have stayed even if he was on 'one leg'. But Lijnders, speaking ahead of tomorrow's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Fulham at Craven Cottage, insists it's the right thing to do.

Liverpool's assistant manager said: "You should never doubt Mo Salah. I never met a guy, player and human being who is more committed to the life of a footballer. I know the country is devastated, we were devastated to hear he got injured.

"The only reason why our medical team and their medical team decided for him to come back is to give him the best possible chance of being available for the final if Egypt reach the final.

"I think because of the first message that came out, probably only a few days, a week, then they made a detailed scan, it came out there was a proper tear in his hamstring. It means the expected return to play will be 3-4 weeks if everything goes smooth and right and it will because of how he treated his body before. What I'm really happy about is the medical team of Egypt and Liverpool really worked together and were in close contact and both made the decisions.

"It's an example how international football and club football should cooperate - putting the player in the centre and not targets of everyone because it's a conflict of interest but how it works now, all of us made the decision what's best for him. That's a stable environment, having the best people and proper people who have time and focus on his rehab focus and we know how it will go here."