According to reports, Mohamed Salah is in a dispute over his involvement at this season’s African Cup of Nations as he faces missing ‘ten Liverpool games’.

Salahhas been criticised over his disappointing form at the start of this season as his performances have severely declined after he was comfortably the best player in the Premier League in 2024/25.

The exit of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool‘s ￡400m+ summer overhaul have negatively impacted Salah, with the recent lack of cohesion with Arne Slot’s side making him less effective.

However, Salah and the rest of Liverpool’s players have returned to form in recent days as they have earned valuable wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid in the Premier League and Champions League.

This means their confidence will be raised ahead of Sunday’s huge game at the Etihad against Premier League title rivals Manchester City.

READ:?Is Arne Slot pondering a ‘tactical shock’ with Florian Wirtz as a false 9?

Liverpool will soon have to cope without Salah as he is due to compete for Egypt at the African Cup of Nations, which is running between December 21 and January 18.

Now, a report from The Daily Mailclaims Liverpool could be without Salah for longer than anticipated, as he ‘could miss ten games’ as he’s involved in a ‘new club vs country row’.

Salah is said to be keen to avoid a dispute as he’s set to ‘hold crunch talks with Egypt boss Hossam Hassan next week’.

It is noted that Egypt’s training camp for the competition begins ‘on the week commencing December 8’, but Liverpool face Inter Milan and Brighton during that week and they ‘want’ him to play a part.

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Regarding Salah’s stance, the report adds:

‘It is understood Salah would also prefer to stay and play those competitive matches for Liverpool.

‘The 33-year-old is set for talks with the coach next week, with Egypt set to take on Algeria and Uzbekistan in friendlies.’

Former Premier League star Gus Poyet has explained what he expects from Salah and Virgil van Dijk in the coming weeks/months.

“When talking about Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, you need to remember the situation last year, when both players needed their contracts renewing,” Poyet said.

“Nobody knew what was happening behind the scenes, and there was a lot of uncertainty – but they both ended up staying at the club and won the league in Arne Slot’s first season.

“Both Salah and Van Dijk continue to hold a lot of responsibility at the club; one is the leader at the back of the pitch and the other is the leader at the front, who is responsible for making the difference and scoring goals.

“When a player signs a new contract, they relax a little bit because the negotiations are over and everything is signed. But you can’t afford to relax in the Premier League!

“Salah and Van Dijk are two incredible professionals, and I think they know they’ve had a few poor games, but I think their rough patch is over based on what I saw in their last game.”