Egypt have named their provisional squad for the 2018 World Cup and there was little surprise to see Mohamed Salah among the names selected. The Liverpool man has been in sensational form this season and is currently enjoying the best spell of his career.
Salah stats speak for themselves and the forward has scored 32 goals in the Premier League, breaking the record for a 38 game campaign in his first season at Anfield.
Salah transfer news has become one of the most hotly contested topics on football shows and social media following his performances this season and Real Madrid have been strongly linked with a summer move for the player.
A Big Month Ahead
However, Salah must keep his attention focused on the job at hand and before the World Cup finals in Russia, the Egyptian has a trip to Kiev for the Champions League final to look forward to.
The next few weeks will see two firsts in the career of Salah, starting with the Champions League final. Salah has never contested a European final and it will be a great opportunity to show the world what he has been doing in the Premier League this season.
Then, having played in the Champions League final, Salah will join up with his Egyptian team mates to travel to Russia and play in the 2018 World Cup finals.
This will be another first for Salah, who has never played in the World Cup during his career. In fact, it will be a first for every player named in the Egypt squad, as the last time the country qualified for the World Cup was back in 1990, 28 years ago.
Salah Named in Squad
Egypt coach, Hector Cuper has named a provisional 29 man squad to play in the pre-World Cup friendly matches against Kuwait and Belgium. Salah will miss the first of those two games as he is playing in the Champions League final but will play some part in the game against Belgium, who will provide tough opposition.
Salah’s fellow Premier League Egyptian, Mohamed Elneny, has also received a call-up despite struggling with an ankle injury. Egypt could break a record at the World Cup if Essam el-Hadary was to play in goal. The 45 year old will become the oldest player to ever play in the World Cup if he makes the final squad for the tournament and is selected by Cuper.
In addition to Salah and Elneny, five more England based players were chosen in the Egypt squad, including West Bromwich Albion defenders Ahmed Hegazy and Ali Gabr, Stoke winger Ramadan Sobhy, Aston Villa defender Ahmed Elmohamady and Wigan midfielder Sam Morsy.
You will be able to follow Salah and his team mates throughout the 2018 World Cup on Sports of the Day. It’s sure to be a thrilling tournament and Salah will be hoping he can lead his team to the knockout stages for the first time in their history.