Egypt head coach Hector Cuper is confident that his star player Mohamed Salah will be fit and ready for their World Cup campaign in Russia.
The 25-year-old Liverpool star is on the race to recovery after suffering a shoulder injury in the Reds Champions League defeat to Real Madrid last weekend in Kiev.
Cuper’s men were held to a goalless draw by Colombia in an international friendly game at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia yesterday.
Reacting to the outcome of the game, the head coach claims he is not disturbed about Salah’s fitness, saying the former Chelsea forward would be fit for the tournament.
"We are optimistic, and every medical report says he will make it," he said.
"But we still have to prepare for any situation that could happen before we start."
The north African team will face Belgium next Wednesday to further test their readiness for the championship before their opening campaign against Uruguay June 15.
"Salah is not easy to replace, no doubt about that," he said.
"He is a weapon for us, especially on counter-attack, making use of his speed and his quality.
"That's why today we struggled in our attacking performance. We tried to compensate that with some team playing, but as I said in the second half we lacked stamina because we have a special condition … for religious reasons, players don't drink nor eat anything, and we actually felt that.
"We tried to manage it using the whole team so it could try to respond better. We sprinted very well, because it was not easy to recover the ball."
The Egyptian FA have previously announced that Salah's absence will "not exceed three weeks", which puts him in contention to play some part in the group stage for the Pharaohs.
NAIJ.com previously reported that Islamic preacher Mubarak Al-Bathali claimed that Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah was punished by God for missing Ramadan fast due to his side Champions League final clash against Real Madrid.
The 25-year-old had a tussle with Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos which resulted to a shoulder injury and the Egypt international had to leave the pitch in pain just 30 minutes into the game.
Initially, Mohamed Salah was said to have claimed that he would fast on the Champions League final day in Kiev, but Liverpool physiotherapist later confirmed later that he would not.
Champions League 2018: Real Madrid VS Liverpool Aftermath - NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng