Egypt coach Shawky Gharib upset with Mo Salah's lack of fitness
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.