
Egypt
boss Shawky Gharib was disappointed with Mo Salah's lack of playing time
with Chelsea and blamed it in part for their defeat by Senegal.
Gharib's men went down 2-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on
Friday and he picked out Salah's performance as one of the reasons for their
reverse.
The £11m signing is yet to feature for Chelsea this season and Gharib said
he was not fit enough for the required level of play, adding to the worries
over some of his team-mates whose domestic season is yet to start.
"We had many mistakes in passing the ball and we failed to put the required
pressure on our opponents but the defenders are not the only ones to be
blamed," Ahram Online Sports reported Gharib as saying.
"The poor fitness of the players, especially Chelsea’s Mohamed Salah, is
also a reason for the loss.
"The Egyptian league hasn't started yet and also Salah didn’t play regularly
with Chelsea. If Salah is off-form, Egypt's performance is always affected."
Chelsea are also waiting for updates on striker Diego Costa, who missed
Spain's European Qualifier against Macedonia with a hamstring injury - they
take on Swansea in the Premier League on Saturday.