Liverpool star Salah 'confident' he'll be back on field soon amid coronavirus battle

Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has offered his first public comments since being diagnosed with Covid-19, saying on Twitter that he's "confident" he'll be back on the field soon.

The 28-year-old was confirmed to have coronavirus on Saturday, with the Egyptian FA saying the star winger had tested positive on two consecutive occasions.

Salah, who is away on international duty, has been forced into self-isolation as he looks to recover from the virus. 

Though Egypt's team doctor Mohamed Abou Elela has said that Salah is suffering from "mild" coronavirus symptoms, the Liverpool star has expressed his belief that he will be back on the field soon.

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

Salah is likely to miss out as Liverpool face Premier League leaders Leicester City on Sunday, but he'll be aiming to return in time to face Atalanta in the Champions League next Wednesday or Brighton next weekend. 

There has been plenty of controversy over Salah's recent attendance at his brother's wedding, with the Liverpool winger seen dancing and interacting with many attendees without wearing a mask. 

Former Egypt striker Mido has joined in on the criticism, saying that Salah "showed great negligence" with his actions at the wedding.

“Mohamed Salah made a big mistake by attending his brother's wedding a few days before the Egyptian national team match, he showed great negligence with the steps taken to prevent the coronavirus and the result was that he was infected," the former Tottenham striker told Al-Nahar TV.

“The neglect of Mohamed Salah caused the Egyptian team to lose an important player in a very important match and time, and he also risked the health of his team-mates.

"He should not have been present at his brother's wedding, especially at that time. The wedding included more than 800 people, and half of them accepted to embrace and kiss Salah.

“The other point here is the silence of all those responsible for the player's negligence, which confirms the fact that the player is still bigger than the national team and this will lead to a great failure."