AFCON returnee Salah in contention for Liverpool's EPL clash against Leicester

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah could be in contention to face Leicester on Thursday only four days after losing the AFCON final with Egypt.

Two days after Egypt's loss against Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 final, star forward Mohamed Salah could be in contention for Liverpool's Premier League clash against Leicester City on Thursday, manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed.

"Mo is now back; I spoke already to him. He is very disappointed, of course, but looking forward to all the things coming up here now. I spoke to him, and pretty much the first thing Mo told me was: 'I'm ready.' Haha!" the German boss told LiverpoolFC.com.

"He is an experienced player; he is a physical monster, to be honest, so we have to see. He will obviously have a little recovery session today, and we will see how he feels tomorrow, and from there we go," the Liverpool manager added.

Egypt was beaten in a penalty shootout, in which their captain Salah did not take a spot-kick, by Senegal in Sunday's showpiece final in Cameroon.

However, Klopp stated that his other star player Sadio Mane, who scored Senegal's winning penalty, will not return to England in time to play in Thursday's clash.

"Sadio flies out if it's possible on Wednesday night, so will arrive here on Thursday but he is, of course, then not involved in the Leicester game," the 54-year-old manager said.

Insisting that the AFCON win means the world to Mane, Senegal and its people, Klopp stated that the club would never consider calling him back to Anfield from there just as yet. 

"Let them do what they do at the moment because they deserve it. They've had an incredibly intense time, so when he is back, we will talk to him, and we will see how we can use him," the German concluded.