Mohamed Salah’s dreams of Champions League final revenge against Real Madrid could be over after the Egyptian was substituted off with an injury in the FA Cup final, and was later joined by Virgil van Dijk.
The Premier League’s top scorer pulled up in the first-half, before hitting the deck in discomfort after a goalless half hour against Chelsea.
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Salah was then removed from the fray in the 33rd minute in place of Diogo Jota, but left the Wembley turf of his own accord.
He was later joined on the bench by talismanic defender Van Dijk who was withdrawn in favour of Joel Matip ahead of extra time.
It was far less clear if Van Dijk’s issue was also an injury, but his removal from the fray may still panic Liverpool fans.
Jurgen Klopp had already been dealt an uncomfortable blow in the Reds previous fixture with a mirror-image incident taking out key midfielder Fabinho.
The Brazilian similarly walked off the pitch after 30 minutes during a 2-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa, and was later confirmed to have picked up a hamstring strain.
Fabinho will now be out of action until Liverpool’s Champions League final meeting with Madrid on May 28, and things could be more severe for Salah.
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“It depends on the severity, but he doesn’t look happy,” said talkSPORT commentator Andy Townsend.
“With what they’ve got at stake, if he’s got any sort of twinge, you don’t play through it. It’s a wise move if he felt something.”
Salah had previously expressed his excitement at landing Madrid in the European Cup final, the side he faced with Liverpool in 2019, but left the pitch in tears after a tangle with Sergio Ramos.
“I want to play Madrid, I have to be honest,” the forward said after reaching the final.
“Because we lost in the final before against them. So I want to play against them, hopefully win it against them as well.”
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