Mohamed Salah is set to commence his pre-season training with Liverpool today after an absence of over seven weeks from Merseyside.
The Egyptian international will return to the club’s AXA Training Centre to undergo routine testing.
Head coach Arne Slot and performance coach Ruben Peeters have introduced a new fitness development approach at Liverpool’s Kirkby base.
This includes implementing a Six-Minute Race Test (6MRT) as part of the warm-up routine, a departure from the lactate tests favoured by former manager Jurgen Klopp and his team.
Salah last played for Liverpool on May 19 in a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers before participating in Egypt’s World Cup qualifiers against Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau on June 6 and 10, respectively.
He played full matches in both, scoring in the 1-1 draw against Guinea-Bissau.
Egypt had hoped to include Salah in their Olympic Games football squad later this month as one of their over-23 players.
However, Liverpool and Salah decided he would remain with the club for pre-season, prioritizing preparation under new head coach Arne Slot.
The Olympics would have caused Salah to miss most of the summer training period, with the competition scheduled from July 24 to August 9.
Liverpool’s players typically receive a three-week holiday after their international duties.
Salah’s commitment to Liverpool’s pre-season is seen as crucial as the team prepares for their Premier League opener against newly-promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday, August 17.
His decision to forego the Olympics is a significant boost for Slot, who recently addressed the media for the first time since becoming head coach.
Salah joins fellow players like Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, and Fabio Carvalho at the AXA Centre, all of whom started training under Slot last Friday.
Carvalho returns after a season on loan with RB Leipzig and Hull City.
Salah’s choice to stay with Liverpool this summer was made with his full consent and reflects his eagerness to begin the new era under Slot on a positive note.
As he enters his eighth season with Liverpool, having played under only two managers on Merseyside, Salah aims to maintain his influential role, having scored 211 goals during his tenure.
Salah will travel with the club to the United States later this month for friendly matches against Real Betis, Arsenal, and Manchester United.
This ensures Liverpool will have their most recognizable star for the lucrative tour, starting in Pittsburgh on July 26, followed by games against Manchester United in Philadelphia on July 31 and Arsenal in Columbia on August 3.
Salah is approaching the final year of his record-breaking contract with Liverpool.
New sporting director Richard Hughes addressed the situation cautiously when questioned on Friday.
“Contractual situations, I don’t think it would be fair for me to talk about,” Hughes said.
“These are private matters between club and players.
“The only concern I have, that Arne has, about those situations and everyone else in the squad is that there is total commitment from the players to the cause for next season – and we are absolutely convinced that is the case.”
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