‘Salah needs to win the AFCON’ — 3-time Champion lays down the gauntlet for Egyptian star

Mohamed Salah has arrived at the Africa Cup of Nations determined to shift focus from club frustrations to international success.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan believes the tournament could define the final chapter of his captain’s legacy.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has dismissed concerns that Mohamed Salah’s recent fallout at Liverpool could derail his Africa Cup of Nations campaign, insisting the forward is mentally sharp and fully committed.

Salah entered the tournament after a public outburst at Anfield, where he admitted feeling like a scapegoat following his omission from Liverpool’s starting lineup. However, Hassan was quick to downplay the situation.

“Salah’s morale in training is very high, as if he were just starting out with the national team,” Hassan said, adding, “I believe he will have a great tournament with his country.”

The former Egypt striker also revealed he maintained constant contact with his captain throughout the controversy. “There was constant communication with Mohamed Salah during what I don’t want to call a crisis,” he explained. “Any player can have a difference of opinion with his coach at his club.”

Despite failing to score in recent outings for both Liverpool and Egypt, Hassan remains confident Salah’s form will return as Egypt prepare for their Group B opener against Zimbabwe.

At 33, Mohamed Salah is widely seen as approaching his final opportunity to lift the Africa Cup of Nations, having twice finished as a runner-up in 2017 and 2021.

For Hassan, a three-time AFCON champion as a player with Egypt in 1986, 1998 and 2006, the objective is clear. “I support him technically and morally, because we cannot forget that Salah needs to win the Africa Cup of Nations,” he said,

Hassan believes continental success would complete Salah’s glittering career, which already boasts major club honours. “I believe Salah will be among the best players at the tournament,” he added. “He will remain an icon and one of the best players in the world.”

Drawing on past experience, Hassan recalled similar goal droughts. “The same situation happened with Salah when he went through a period of not scoring goals with Liverpool,” he noted. “Then he returned to the right path through the national team.”

With Egypt chasing an eighth AFCON title and their first since 2010, the pressure, and expectation, now firmly rests on Salah’s shoulders.