Mohamed Salah is in line to start Egypt’s opening game of World Cup 2018 against Uruguay, with Hector Cuper “100 per cent” confident the Liverpool forward is over a shoulder injury.
The Pharaohs boss told reporters: “Salah is doing very well indeed, he's recovered very quickly. We'll see how it goes today. I can almost assure you 100 per cent he'll play.
“We’re trying to make him feel confident. The doctors are giving him the option to play or not. I know him very well, and I’m sure he’s not afraid.
“A risk of playing a match is something we can’t hide. In terms of him on the pitch, he’ll have full guarantees. If we do see at the last minute there’s an issue, we’ll see if it can be resolved.”
Salah left the field in tears after sustaining a shoulder ligament injury while playing for Liverpool in last month's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.
Since then, Egypt's fans have been tortured by the possibility that their first appearance in the World Cup finals for 28 years could be ruined by the loss of their biggest star, who netted 44 goals for Liverpool in his first season at Anfield.
Egypt will also face hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia in the group stage.