Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed that Mohamed Salah’s injury that forced him off in the first half of the Champions League final on Saturday was “serious”.
“It is a serious injury. He is in hospital for an X-ray. It is either the collarbone or the shoulder itself,” Klopp said after Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the final in Kiev. “It doesn’t look good. That’s it.”
Salah, who scored 44 goals for Liverpool this season, came off just half an hour into the game in tears after hurting himself in a challenge with Sergio Ramos. Liverpool had been on top at that point, but following the shock of the Egyptian’s injury they went on to lose due to a combination of two goalkeeping howlers by Loris Karius and a superb Gareth Bale goal. However, Klopp believed losing Salah was the turning point.
“Of course it was a big moment in the game. I know if you say that after you lost it sounds like you’re a bad loser but for us it was like a harsh challenge. It was like wrestling. The shock of the boys was obvious.”
Salah later left the NSC Olimpiyskyi stadium with his arm in a sling, not stopping for waiting journalists.
The official Twitter account of the Egyptian team, @Pharaohs, posted a picture of Salah with the caption: “Get well soon @MoSalah”.
However, Klopp admitted that Salah now risks missing out on the World Cup – he has been hoping to lead Egypt in their first appearance at the tournament since 1990, but their opening match is against Uruguay on June 15, less than three weeks from now.
“We wanted everything and got nothing. We lost an important player and probably Egypt lost for the World Cup an important player. From what I said so far it doesn’t look really good.”
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