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Cape Town - Egypt coach Hector Cuper remains
hopeful that Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah will feature for his country at
the 2018 World Cup, which kicks off on June 14.
There were fears that Salah could miss the spectacle in Russia after he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the UEFA Champions League final on May 26 following a clash with Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.
However, the 25-year-old winger has been included in Cuper's final 23-man squad, and the Argentine is optimistic that his star player will be in the mix for their Group A opener against Uruguay on June 15.
Cuper is eager to get Salah involved in the build-up to the World Cup following positive updates from the team doctor regarding his recovery.
"Salah is in a stage of recovery not just for treatment on his shoulder," the 62-year-old said. "We need to improve his demeanour and his fitness level because the injury has prevented him from training as a normal player.
"But we have very good news from our doctor, we hope he will be with us before Uruguay. We are optimists and we are waiting for him.
"We hope we won't be affected, we try to be the same team, we can't be dependent on one player. He's important but if he's not fit in time we will be ready with another player.
"This is football, these things can happen to any player. We could need to substitute him, but we hope that won't be the case."
