An ex-Middlesbrough and Premier League striker has delivered his verdict on Mo Salah’s decision to return back to England from AFCON duty rather than stay with his Egyptian teammates.
Salah was seen training on Merseyside after picking up an injury at the African Cup of Nations last week. The injury prevented him from taking any further part in the tournament and he decided that he would travel back to the UK.
Harsh criticism
That decision did not go down very well with one of his countrymen. The person in question did not exactly play by the rules himself and was something of a maverick during his time playing in England. So the criticism seems a little harsh to say the least.
He is now renowned for his excellent man-management skills with England, but Middlesbrough fans will remember the difficult time that then Boro boss, Gareth Southgate had managing the enigma that was Mido. His all round attitude and his tendency to go missing (both in games and when reporting for training) was well documented.
The translation of his tweet criticising the Liverpool forward, which was in Arabic, read ‘Oh, these exercises are so dirty and rigid, it is difficult to do them, except in Liverpool.’ The statement had a laughing emoji attributed to the tweet.
Egyptian striker Mido rose to prominence whilst playing in the Premier League at Tottenham Hotspur. He moved to Boro from the London club for around £6 million in 2007. He only managed 7 goals in 32 appearances for the Teesside club and after a series of loans including Wigan and West Ham, he was released, joining Ajax in 2010.
Mido not a fan of Southgate
Not content with causing Southgate problems as a Boro player, Mido also launched a scathing attack on his former boss’ managerial credentials with England. In 2020, as reported by The Mail, he said that England should ‘get him away from them!’ when describing his impact on the talented young lions. He also suggested that the players under his command could ‘feel his fear’ and suggested England bring in Jose Mourinho instead.
Boro fans will not be surprised by the outburst. It comes from a player whose achievements are relatively modest in comparison to fellow Egyptian Salah. He was known for his attention seeking exploits in the 2000’s and is unlikely to change his outspoken ways now.
Mido amassed a career tally of 84 goals and 34 assists in 277 club games, and as an international managed 19 goals in 50 appearances for Egypt.