Manchester United have been handed a blow ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final clash with Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp confirms that Mo Salah is back to full fitness.
If this is to be Mohamed Salah’s final season at Anfield – as well as Jurgen Klopp’s – then it’s fair to say their departures cannot come soon enough for their North West neighbours from down the M62.
Only Newcastle icon Alan Shearer has scored as many goals against Manchester United as Liverpool’s so-called ‘Egyptian King’ (10) in the Premier League era. In all competitions, Salah has found the net 12 times against the Red Devils, three of those coming in a stunning hat-trick on a previous visit to Old Trafford during the dying embers of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era.
But with his contract running down and with Saudi Arabian clubs still very much interested, this weekend’s FA Cup last-eight clash will be – hopefully anyway – Salah’s penultimate appearance against the club he has haunted the nightmares of during the last seven seasons.
Manchester United vs Liverpool in FA Cup
The former Chelsea and Roma winger made his return from injury off the bench during last week’s enthralling 1-1 draw with title rivals Manchester City. Salah could be handed a first start since New Years’ Day against Sparta Prague on Thursday, however, with Klopp confirming that his star man is ‘ready to start’ just day out from that Man United meeting.
“It’s possible it would have been possible for him to play longer in the last game (vs City),” Klopp tells the Liverpool website. “It’s important that we build up Mo. Obviously super-important.
“So, yeah, he is ready (to start again). He is top fit. Everything is good now and we don’t have to deal with these kind of things anymore. I’m not sure if he is ready for 90 minutes and I’m not sure we should do 90 minutes, but he’s ready to start so that’s how it is.
“He would have been ready to start in the last game but then you don’t know for how long it makes sense and that’s always the problem when players come back.
“Would he have loved to play a little bit longer (against City)? Probably, yes. But I cannot before the game decide when we do what and these kind of things. But he’s ready to start.”
Mo Salah ‘ready to start’
Man United, meanwhile, have had some good injury news themselves of late. Star centre-back Lisandro Martinez could return for the trip to Brentford on March 30th, while both Mason Mount and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are back in training.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, allegedly informed Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand that top-scorer Rasmus Hojlund will feature against Liverpool on Sunday with a visit to Wembley on the line.
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