Dream Team managers will remember 2021/22 as ‘the Mohamed Salah season’.
Liverpool’s No11 is by far and away the top performer this term with a whopping 233 points to his name at this stage.
His nearest competitor, team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6.5m), is 65 points off the pace.
To put that into context, the Reds’ right-back is as close to Salah in terms of points as he is ahead of Jorginho (£3.5m), the 20th-best asset overall.
It’s therefore understandable why Dream Team gaffers are itching for the Egyptian to return from the Africa Cup of Nations as soon as possible.
Unfortunately (for us), Eric Bailly’s (£2.1m) missed no-look penalty for Ivory Coast helped the Pharaohs progress to the quarter-finals, meaning nobody is any closer to knowing exactly when Salah will return to action for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
But which scenario is most likely?
Egypt take on Morocco this Sunday in the quarter-finals of AFCON and if they lose then their talismanic superstar will surely be available for both of Liverpool’s fixtures in Game Week 23.
The Reds host Cardiff in the FA Cup on Sunday 6th February before welcoming Leicester to Anfield the following Thursday (10th February) for a Premier League clash.
Realistically, even if Egypt make it to the semi-finals before being eliminated, Salah could make it back for Game Week 23 as there would be a week between that fixture and Liverpool’s meeting with the Foxes.
Plus, Cardiff at home in a domestic cup is the type of fixture Klopp would opt to rest his star players anyway.
The good news then is that anything other than a final appearance for Egypt is likely to make Dream Team’s MVP available for selection come Liverpool’s next league game.
If Salah and his compatriots do make it to the final showdown in Cameroon, it’s hard to imagine him playing a part against Brendan Rodgers’ troops four days later, though not impossible of course.
In that instance, Liverpool’s trip to Burnley in Game Week 24 would probably be the 29-year-old’s comeback game.
Transfers will be refreshed next Friday (4th February) and no doubt many Dream Team bosses will be bringing Salah back into their XI as a matter of urgency.
At £8.2m he’s the most-expensive asset so it may be the case that the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (£7.9m), who has produced 12 points since the beginning of Game Week 16, will have to make way.
For now, cross your fingers and hope Salah doesn’t get injured.