Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool career could be over after the Egyptian left the field against Crystal Palace at Anfield with an apparent hamstring injury.
Salah, who will leave the club this summer after almost a decade, is the third-highest scorer in Liverpool’s history and won two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Club World Cup during his time on Merseyside.
But the 33-year-old may have played his last game after clutching his left thigh as he departed during the second half on Saturday, while Liverpool were leading 2-1.
Salah sat on the ground before walking off, turning to applaud the entire stadium as he went. He appeared emotional as he reached the touchline and was consoled by players and staff.
Liverpool have only four games left in a season which will finish with the visit of Brentford to Anfield on 24 May. It means Salah has only four weeks to recover in order to play in the game, although the day will be a celebration of his career whether or not he is fit to be involved on the pitch.
The forward has shattered records at Liverpool since he was signed from Roma in 2017, scoring 255 goals in 435 appearances in all competitions, and was the unanimous player of the year as the Reds lifted the Premier League title last season. He signed a two-year contract extension towards the final weeks of last campaign, but Liverpool said an agreement has been reached to end that early.
Only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt have scored more goals for the Reds than the “Egyptian King”, who will leave Anfield as one of the club’s greatest ever players. Last season, Salah became the fourth-highest scorer in Premier League history and is the top-scoring foreign player ever in the top-flight, with 191 goals.
This campaign has been more difficult for both Salah and Liverpool. The player gave an explosive interview to reporters in December, accusing the club of throwing him “under the bus”. He later apologised and will now be set for an emotional farewell ahead of the final weeks of the season.