Egyptian footballers Salah and Elneny test positive for Covid-19

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny have returned another positive test for Covid-19.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said on Wednesday that Salah had previously tested positive for the coronavirus last Friday, on the eve of Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo, while Elneny tested positive three days later.

"The medical swab conducted on the mission of our first national football team showed that our international player, Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool star, was infected with the Coronavirus, after his test came back positive," the federation said in a statement on its Facebook page.

"The player does not suffer from any symptoms. The other members of the team tested negative. Salah underwent the medical protocol after the team's doctor coordinated with his English club. In addition to his isolation inside his room and also isolating all his contacts."

The federation said he will undergo further checks in the coming hours.

Without Salah, Egypt beat Togo 3-1 in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Tuesday and top their group.

Salah, who is the joint leading scorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals, will miss the visit from league leaders Leicester City on Sunday.

Salah’s positive test is another blow for Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who is already facing a defensive crisis with the loss of centre backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, potentially for the remainder of the season.

He is also likely to be ruled out of Liverpool's Champions League game against Atalanta next Wednesday, while Elneny is expected to miss Arsenal's trip to Leeds United on Sunday and their Europa League clash at Molde on Nov. 26.

But the loss of Salah, who is joint leading scorer in the league this season with eight goals, eats further into Liverpool's squad depth that is being tested to the limit. Klopp will be hoping the remainder of the international window provides no more bad news. 

Salah wrote on Twitter on Tuesday: "I'd like to thank everyone for the supportive messages and well wishes. I'm confident I'll be back on the field soon."

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The Premier League said on Nov.17 that 16 people had returned positive results in its latest round of Covid-19 tests conducted on players and staff last week, the highest number of cases in a single round since the new season began in September.

The league said the individuals who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus would now self-isolate for 10 days.

"The Premier League can today confirm that between Monday 9 November and Sunday 15 November, 1,207 players and club staff were tested for Covid-19. Of these, there were 16 new positive tests," the league said in a statement.

A total of 68 people have tested positive for the virus in 11 rounds of testing this season.

There have been more than 1.3 million Covid-19 infections and over 51,000 deaths in the United Kingdom, according to a Reuters tally.

READ MORE: Football returns from Covid-19 stoppage despite experts warning of risks