MO SALAH has tested positive for coronavirus just days after he attended his brother’s wedding in Egypt.
The Liverpool forward, 28, is not suffering from any symptoms after returning a positive swab test while on international duty, the Egyptian FA confirmed.
Mo Salah, who has tested positive for coronavirus, dances with his brother Nasr at his wedding in Egypt Credit: Newsflash
Mo Salah at his brother’s wedding in Cairo
It is the latest blow for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp – who is already without several key players.
Salah, the Premier League’s joint-top scorer this season with eight goals, will have to self-isolate for ten days, ruling him out of the clash with Leicester next Saturday.
The Egyptian star attended his brother Nasr’s wedding in Cairo on Tuesday and footage appeared on social media of the football star dancing among a small crowd of guests.
He was wearing a mask pulled down below his nose and around his chin in several images taken at the ceremony, which was also attended by international team-mate and Aston Villa star Mahmoud Trezeguet.
The Egyptian FA initially announced Salah was the only member of the Egyptian side to test positive before later revealing three other players were being sent for retests.
A statement on their website read: “A second swab was conducted for Mohamed Salah and the result showed a positive case for the infection of coronavirus.
“All measures are being taken for this and the necessary international medical protocol for the case is being followed.
“The Egyptian star is in high spirits and none of the usual symptoms appear on him.
“A special room has been prepared for isolation and another room for medical follow-up, while the team doctor, Dr Muhammad Abu Al-Ela, communicates with Liverpool club doctor Jim Moxon.”
Mo Salah has tested positive for coronavirus while on international duty
Salah could be seen enjoying himself at the celebrationsCredit: Newsflash
He is now set to miss Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at home to Togo on Saturday and the reverse fixture on Tuesday.
Apparently, Salah went to an award ceremony in his honour on Wednesday.
Amr El Ganainy, head of the normalisation committee that runs the Egyptian FA, made clear his organisation had done everything by the book in terms of looking after Salah.
He said : “He got Covid because of our ceremony and honour?
“Everything has been done with co-ordinating with his agent and Liverpool. We did everything that Liverpool asked.”
Mo Salah and brother Nasr pose together at Nasr’s weddingCredit: Newsflash
Salah and brother Nasr danced while being hoisted aloftCredit: Newsflash
Salah looked sharp in a fitted black suit and skinny black tieCredit: Newsflash
Salah appeared to be enjoying the celebration with other attendeesCredit: Newsflash
The former Chelsea ace is not the first global star to contract the virus after Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo tested positive while away with his national side in October.
Juventus forward Ronaldo chartered a private ambulance jet to escape back to Italy and continue self-isolating in his Turin home.
Salah’s test result is the latest Covid drama to hit football after England’s Premier League stars learned the Republic of Ireland’s Alan Browne – who played 90 minutes at Wembley on Thursday night – tested positive for the virus after the game.
The Three Lions won the friendly 3-0 thanks to goals from Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and a Dominic Calvert-Lewin penalty but despite the scare SunSport understands the FA are not worried about anyone catching the virus from him during the game.
In September, Egypt allowed weddings to be held in open-air venues but with a limit of 300 guests and only in tourist and hotel facilities with health and safety certificates.
Salah is the FIFTH Liverpool star to contract the virus after new boy Thiago, Sadio Mane, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita all returned positive tests in recent months.
The news will come as another blow to Reds boss Klopp, who also saw Joe Gomez pick up a significant injury while during this international break.
Salah could be seen smiling behind a maskCredit: Newsflash
Salah was in close contact with a number of individualsCredit: Newsflash
Salah was snapped sitting down at a table without a maskCredit: Newsflash
Gomez suffered a serious knee injury in England training on Wednesday and underwent ‘successful’ surgery on a tendon blow with Liverpool hopeful he will feature again this season.
The Premier League champions are facing a mounting injury crisis after Trent Alexander-Arnold pulled out of Three Lions duty with a calf problem.
The right-back sustained the injury during the 1-1 draw away at Manchester City and is expected to miss four weeks after being forced from the field.
Talismanic Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk is still months away from fitness after picking up an ACL injury in a controversial collision with England No1 Jordan Pickford.
Initial fears suggested Gomez might have sustained a similar injury.
The Reds have only just welcomed back Joel Matip to their depleted backline, but makeshift centre-back Fabinho is also out.
Midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also missing.
Liverpool have been forced to play 19-year-old Rhys Williams and last year’s outcast Nat Phillips already this season.
Mohamed Salah scores 94th minute penalty vs Congo to take Egypt to World Cup finals for the first time since 1990
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
