Mohammed Salah has shown off a smart new haircut and beard trim ahead of his African Cup of Nations campaign with Egypt.
The Liverpool star, 31, has joined up with the Egyptian national team ahead of the continental competition which begins in Cote d’Ivoire at the weekend.
Egypt reached the final of the African Cup of Nations last time out, but fell victim to a 4-2 penalty shootout defeat to Senegal after a goalless draw two years ago.
The Egyptian National Side posted to X (formerly Twitter), showing off pictures of Salah with his new look, and in training ahead of the tournament.
One Liverpool fan replied to the picture, saying: “5years younger with that new hairstyle. Good Luck king.”
The Liverpool star faced some stick online for his curly long locks during his last domestic games ahead of his exit to join up with his international colleagues.
The 31-year-old scored one goal and assisted another in their 4-2 win over Newcastle United on New Year’s Day.
One Liverpool fan wrote: “He definitely saw them hairline memes from the Newcastle game,” while another added: “His barber saw the memes and said I gatchu.”
Salah’s Egypt are in Group B of the competition, and will face Mozambique, Ghana and Cape Verde in their first three matches of the tournament.
While Salah is on international duty, he could miss up to eight Liverpool games, starting with the FA Cup clash against Premier League Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
On Friday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp joked that he was not wishing Salah much success with Egypt, as a short stay at AFCON would mean that the club’s star striker would be back in domestic action far sooner.
Meanwhile, former Ghana national team coach Otto Addo believes that Egypt will be Ghana’s ‘easiest’ opponent in Group B at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Addo, who guided the Black Stars at the 2023 FIFA World Cup, recently mentioned that the lack of pressure will be his country’s biggest positive against Egypt.
“I think the easiest game may be against Egypt because their team is very well-balanced,” Addo told GTV Sports Plus, as per KingFut.“They are the favourites in this game, so it is easier to stand behind when people don’t expect too much from you.
“It’s easier than to play the so-called small countries which are football educated, know how to defend, and it will be very, very tough to break them down.”