Salah left out of Egypt friendlies after Liverpool request granted

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Star player Mohamed Salah will not be joining Egypt's national squad in upcoming international matches, new head coach Hossam Hassan announced Sunday.

The Liverpool forward will sit out an Egyptian team bootcamp in the United Arab Emirates this week, as well as friendly games with Croatia, Tunisia and New Zealand later this month.

The decision comes after a formal request from the English title-chasers last week to grant Salah medical leave, after he sustained a hamstring injury at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Salah has only played 46 minutes for Liverpool since his early retreat, making brief comebacks as a substitute against Brentford last month, and then again on Thursday in a Europa League match against Sparta Prague.