“If I wish them good luck it would be a lie” - Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on when he wants Mohamed Salah’s Egypt to get knocked out of AFCON

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed his feelings on the participation of talisman Mohamed Salah in the Africa Cup of Nations this month. The German tactician has revealed that he doesn't wish for the Egypt international to have a deep run in the competition.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was scheduled to be held in Cote d'Ivoire in July. However, torrential rainfall in West Africa forced the tournament to be shifted to January 2024. The implication of this is that many clubs in Europe will be without their African stars for the duration of the tournament.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is the leader of the Egyptian contingent to the tournament and will be missed by his club. Jurgen Klopp revealed to the media ahead of his side's FA Cup clash with Arsenal on January 7 that he hopes the Pharaohs crash out early.

He said via Goal:

"I said if I wish them good luck it would be a lie. Hopefully, they are out in the group stages but it’s not likely possible. Good luck and hopefully they can come back healthy. I am pretty positive we will find a way [to replace them] but we have to show that."

In addition to missing Salah, the Reds will also be without midfielder Wataru Endo, who is set to represent Japan at the AFC Asian Cup. The Japanese midfielder was voted as the club's Player of the Month for December, a symbol of his growing influence.

Meanwhile, Liverpool had Salah to thank for their win over Newcastle United in their last game on January 1. The 31-year-old scored twice and provided an assist in the 4-2 win ta Anfield.

The Egyptian star will be his country's main man at AFCON, and they will look to him for inspiration. The Pharaohs have been drawn against Mozambique, Ghana, and Cape Verde in the group stage. The Liverpool man will look to make amends for failing to lead his country to glory in Cameroon two years ago, when they lost to Senegal in the final.

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Liverpool to miss influential Salah in January

Like many teams across Europe, Liverpool will be without arguably its most influential player for the whole of January. If Egypt do go far in the competition, Mohamed Salah may be unavailable for part of February too.

Salah will miss games against Arsenal (FA Cup third round), Fulham (EFL Cup semi-finals both legs), and Bournemouth at the very least. He may also miss games against Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League and a potential FA Cup Fourth Round match.

The former Chelsea man has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in only 20 appearances in the Premier League this season. The Reds will need other forwards, such as Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, and Cody Gakpo, to step up in his absence.