Why Mohamed Salah missed Egypt’s World Cup qualifier ahead of Liverpool vs Manchester Utd

According to a report by Metro, Mohamed Salah missed Egypt’s World Cup qualifier against Guinea-Bissau on Sunday, raising initial concerns among Liverpool supporters ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.

The Premier League returns with one of the biggest fixtures of the season as Liverpool host their fierce rivals at Anfield, with both sides in need of a positive result. Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim remains under scrutiny following a difficult start to the campaign, while Liverpool entered the international break after suffering three consecutive defeats.

Salah, who has scored only once from open play in the league this season, has often been Liverpool’s key performer in this fixture. The 33-year-old forward holds the record for the most goals in matches between Liverpool and Manchester United, having found the net 16 times against the Red Devils.

Fans were therefore alarmed when Salah was left out of Egypt’s matchday squad for their 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau. As Egypt’s captain and most influential player, his absence prompted speculation about a possible injury.

However, it was later confirmed that Salah had simply been rested by national team coach Hossam Hassan, who also rotated several senior players. Egypt had already secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 3-0 win over Djibouti last week, a match in which Salah scored twice.

Salah attended the Guinea-Bissau game from the stands and joined in the celebrations afterward as Egypt extended their unbeaten qualifying run. He remains just seven goals away from becoming his nation’s all-time top scorer — a record currently held by his international coach, Hossam Hassan.

“It is a great honour to reach the World Cup as both a player and a coach. We did a great job during the qualifiers because we have great players,” Hassan said after the win. “I asked the players to win against Guinea-Bissau to make the fans who came to celebrate happy. Salah is a glory for Egypt. He is a great player, intelligent and very professional. He is like my younger brother or eldest son.”

Before leading Egypt to the 2026 World Cup, Salah will captain the Pharaohs at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament, scheduled for the winter, will see the forward miss several crucial fixtures for Liverpool over the Christmas period.