Premier League legend now pundit Mark Lawrenson wants Egypt to lose their opening games at the Africa Cup of Nations so that Mo Salah returns to play for Liverpool.
Salah is one of several high-profile African players, such as Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana – who represents Cameroon – who will leave their clubs this winter to play in the international tournament.
It means that some big sides across Europe will be missing vital players, and speaking to Paddy Power, former Liverpool defender Lawrenson is hoping Egypt is promptly knocked out to free up Salah.
He said: “There are several people that can replace Mo Salah [during AFCON] because they’ve got four other strikers. Not to be disparaging, but I hope Egypt loses the first few games and he comes back!
“They’ve dealt with it before, and they’ll deal with it again. Where they are lucky is that they’ve got quite a few other players. That’s why you’ve got a big squad, and someone has to take over from Salah – he didn’t score at the weekend, so next game it’s like nothing new.”
