Mohamed Salah's Liverpool row felt like "humiliation" for Egyptian fans, who are rallying behind their star man before the Africa Cup of Nations begins.

With Salah’s Egypt losing in the semi-final, the question will be asked of when he will return to Liverpool. Liverpool knew ahead of Egypt’s semi-final that they would be without their winger until the end of the competition, as he was guaranteed a place in either the final or third-place playoff.

While Arne Slot seems to think that Liverpool's starting line-up is stronger without Mohamed Salah, the winger has been conspicuous by his absence in recent weeks, with the Reds struggling to score goals without their talisman.

Salah should get a chance again to achieve his dream in 2027 when the next edition of Afcon takes place in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. He will turn 35 in June next year, while his current Liverpool contract is set to expire that summer but he remains in peak condition.

The careers of Salah and Senegal's Sadio Mane have been intertwined. Together as teammates at Liverpool, there was silverware success alongside occasional friction between the pair. At international level, there's been a rivalry for team and individual honours.

However there is a disparity in terms of their international achievements. Mane captained Senegal to an Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2021, scoring the decisive penalty shootout spot kick. Senegal defeated Egypt in the final, meaning that Salah had been denied a first international title by his former Liverpool teammate.