Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah made an appearance at Egypt’s final training session in Cairo before the team heads to the World Cup in Russia. Salah did not, however, fully participate in training alongside his teammates, and the team’s medical staff emphasized that there is still some uncertainty over whether the player can be called upon when Egypt take on Uruguay in their first match of the tournament on Friday.
Not that anyone has forgotten, but Salah suffered a shoulder injury in a tangle with Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos during Liverpool’s Champions League final last month. There were serious concerns that the injury might keep Salah out of the World Cup, but those appear to have alleviated. Salah himself appeared upbeat during the training session in Cairo, and it now seems he will have some role to play, even if he’s ruled out against Uruguay. Matches against Russia and Saudi Arabia will follow.
“Everything looks good,” said team doctor Mohamed Abou El-Ela. “[Salah’s] condition is comfortable, but playing against Uruguay is uncertain.”
“We’ll take our decision after two days as everything will be clear. Our goal is to keep him safe and he will play if he’s 100 per cent fit.”
Liverpool will likewise hope that Egypt take a cautious approach with Salah’s health during the tournament.