"God has bigger plans for you" - Former Liverpool player Dejan Lovren sends emotional message to Mohamed Salah after World Cup heartbreak
Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has consoled Mohamed Salah after Egypt were beaten by Senegal in the World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday.
Senegal overcame a first-leg deficit to win the game 1-0 and take the tie to extra time. Just as they did in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, Senegal relied on penalties to beat Egypt and dash their World Cup hopes.
Salah took the first spot kick for Egypt and missed, while his Liverpool teammate, Sadio Mane, buried the deciding penalty to send Senegal into the World Cup.
It’s been a tough few months for Salah. He has played a lot of games with Egypt and Liverpool, but has had to deal with losing the AFCON final and failing to qualify for the World Cup.
🏻
Mo head up, be proud of you and your team. You gave everything, God has bigger plans for you. Keep strong brate 💪🏻❤️
@MoSalah
Lovren, who was one of Salah's best mates when the two were at Anfield, wrote on Twitter:
"Mo head up, be proud of you and your team. You gave everything, God has bigger plans for you. Keep strong brate."
Salah has the chance to turn his disappointment into success with Liverpool
Salah has been on an indifferent run of form at Liverpool, having scored just once in the last five games across all competitions.
The 29-year-old is perhaps feeling the aftereffects of playing too much football in 2022. The contract standoff at Anfield certainly hasn't helped as he wants to remain in Merseyside but hasn't been offered the wages he wants.
Sadio Mane and Senegal qualify for the #WorldCup after a shootout win over Egypt.
Congratulations Sadio and commiserations, Mo. We can't wait to have you both back ♥ https://t.co/kyBBNi7g2e
Regardless of what has happened, Salah will have the chance to end the season on a high as the Merseyside outfit are still competing for three trophies.
The Reds have already won the Carabao Cup and will hope to overcome Manchester City in the Premier League and the FA Cup to boost their silverware hopes considerably.
Salah has been a key player for Jurgen Klopp so far this season and is the leading scorer for the Reds with 28 goals in 36 appearances across competitions.
Although the Reds have an attack that isn’t heavily reliant on Salah, they will hope he comes good in the coming months and puts the disappointment of Egypt behind him.