Egypt’s national team coach, Hossam Hassan, offered his strong support to captain Mohamed Salah, stating that he needs to win the Africa Cup of Nations. This came just hours before Egypt’s opening match against Zimbabwe in the tournament being held in Morocco.
Salah has faced numerous challenges at Liverpool over the past month, including being dropped from four matches by Arne Slott. He has since reconciled with the Dutch coach and featured in the Brighton match, where he provided an assist.
Hassan said of Salah, “I spoke with Salah on the phone after what happened at Liverpool. Any player in the world is susceptible to disagreements with their coach, and I sense Salah’s ambition and desire during the current Egyptian national team camp.”
He added, “He also experienced a dip in form recently, but returned to his best with the Egyptian national team, and then he shone at Liverpool.”
“I believe he will have a fantastic tournament and remain one of the best players in the world,” he added. “Salah needs to win that title, and he needs to help himself and us, and we need to help him achieve that. During training, he seems like he’s still at the beginning of his journey with the national team.”
Salah has led Egypt to the Africa Cup of Nations final twice: first in 2017, when the Pharaohs lost 2-1 to Cameroon, and again in 2022, when Carlos Queiroz’s team was defeated by Senegal on penalties in Cameroon.
Salah has also helped Egypt qualify for the World Cup twice, but he has yet to win a major title with his country, which holds the record for most Africa Cup of Nations titles with seven.
