In his most recent interview, Egypt manager Hector Cuper has shown more encouragement that Mohamed Salah will return for their first World Cup match against Uruguay.
Salah was hauled down in the Champions League final and came off in tears after half an hour, which were worrying signs for Egypt.
A staggering campaign with Liverpool has seen the Egyptian rise to stardom, and his mild-mannered demeanour and honest philosophies make him an endearing person alongside being a lethal footballer.
With Salah frequently compared to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo this term, there would be a gaping hole in the rich tapestry of world football if he was to miss any of the tournament.
Liverpool and Egypt fans will be the closest inspectors of Mohamed Salah’s recovery, however the planet is behind the magician to get back to his best as swiftly as possible.
And by Cuper’s recent remarks, it seems that is a real possibility.
Originally, the Liverpool winger was ruled out for the Pharaohs’ opener at least, and scheduled his return for Egypt’s clash with hosts Russia a few days later.
But, optimism has increased from Cuper’s perspective, and all eyes are on Salah who missed their latest friendly versus Colombia.
The Egypt boss spoke after releasing his final 23-man squad:
"“Salah is in a stage of recovery, not just treatment on his shoulder. We need to improve his fitness level because the injury has prevented him training as a normal player.”"
He then pointed to positivity:
"“But we have very good news from our doctors and we hope he will be with us for Uruguay. We are optimists and waiting for him. We hope we won’t be affected but we can’t depend on one player. If he’s not fit in time we will be ready with another [player].”"
It is no secret that Salah will be fundamental to Egypt’s chances at the World Cup, and the sooner he is back, the calmer their hopeful supporters will be.
Against Colombia, though it was a friendly, Salah’s absence was notable. Egypt had little potency going forward and creativity was significantly lower than if the maestro was on the field.
And from the neutral’s point of view, it would be unfortunate to see one of the best players this season miss any of the World Cup.
Salah has by no means been confirmed for the Uruguay game, however with initial fears being he would sit out for the entire tournament, considerable progress has been made.
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