“In other countries there is more social pressure” – Klopp speaks to Salah after COVID-19 tests

Salah will miss this weekend's game against Leicester.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken to Mo Salah after the forward twice tested positive for Covid-19 while on international duty with Egypt. Salah was expected to take part in his national side's AFCON qualifying double-header with Togo  over the international break, but had to self-isolate in a hotel after returning the first of two positive tests last week. He has since received criticism, with former Egyptian international Mido questioning his decision to attend his brother's wedding days before meeting up with his national side. Salah continues to self-isolate, and will therefore miss Liverpool's Premier League encounter with Leicester City this weekend. He is also likely to be absent for the midweek Champions League game against Atalanta. Speaking about Salah on Friday, Klopp described the pair's relationship as being "fine", adding that he didn't intend to divulge the full details of what he tells his players behind closed doors to the public.

"He [Salah] is in a good place," Klopp said.

"He feels well. There is nothing to say in public about all the things I talk to my players about but I can say in the summer I was in Germany and a friend moved his birthday party because I was there.

"There were 50 people attending. I decided at the last minute not to go and it was allowed in Germany. It was outside but I did not go.

"In other countries there is more social pressure on you and a brother's wedding is a very special moment. What I can say is that my players are all incredibly disciplined. There were some cases but they all know about the situation.

"But sometimes it doesn't work out like this and something happens, and we are in the situation we are in, but all the rest is between me and Mo, and we did that already so we are fine."

Klopp's downplaying of the situation comes just days after Mido's scathing assessment of the situation, in which he criticised both Salah and the Egyptian FA for their refusal to speak out against him. "I know I may be under attack after my next comments, but it has to be that way," the former Tottenham and Ajax striker told Al-Nahar TV "Mohamed Salah made a big mistake by attending his brother's wedding a few days before the Egyptian national team match, he showed great negligence with the steps taken to prevent the coronavirus and the result was that he was infected. "The neglect of Mohamed Salah caused the Egyptian team to lose an important player in a very important match and time, and he also risked the health of his team-mates. "He should not have been present at his brother's wedding, especially at that time. The wedding included more than 800 people, and half of them accepted to embrace and kiss Salah." He continued: "The other point here is the silence of all those responsible for the player's negligence, which confirms the fact that the player is still bigger than the national team and this will lead to a great failure. "Officials in Egypt did not direct any word of blame or reproach to Mohamed Salah and the harm caused by his negligence to the Egyptian team, and I name each of the Minister of Sports Ashraf Sobhi, Chairman of the EFA Amr Al-Ganayni, the coach of the national team Hossam Al-Badri, and the national team director Mohamed Barakat, all are cowards and fear Mohamed Salah fans who love the Liverpool star, but here I am speaking without calculations or fear of anyone, and what is being said should be said to me. "Salah should have been blamed for what he did, but everyone feels fear."

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