Mohamed Salah
Cleveland: Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has confirmed that star forward Mohamed Salah is fully fit and ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after featuring in the second half of Egypt's 2-1 defeat to Brazil in a pre-tournament friendly.
Salah, who recently concluded his stint with Liverpool, returned to action after recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him during part of the Premier League season.
Speaking after the match, Hassan expressed confidence in the fitness of Egypt's talisman.
"Salah underwent a rehabilitation programme with Liverpool and then with the national team, and he is now ready for matches," Hassan said.
The 33-year-old made his last appearance for Liverpool against Brentford on May 24 before joining Egypt's World Cup preparations.
Brazil maintained their strong form ahead of the World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Egypt in Cleveland, extending their winning streak to three matches.
Bruno Guimaraes opened the scoring in the seventh minute before Mostafa Ziko equalised just four minutes later. However, Endrick netted the winner in the 52nd minute to hand Brazil the victory.
The seven-time African champions will begin their World Cup campaign against Belgium on June 15 in Seattle before facing New Zealand and Iran in Group-stage fixtures.
Hassan acknowledged the challenge awaiting his side.
"The opening match against Belgium at the World Cup will be extremely difficult, and the group is strong and highly competitive," said the former Egypt striker, who was part of the country's 1990 World Cup squad.
Despite praising Brazil's quality, Hassan admitted he was unhappy with the result.
"I do not like losing, and I am saddened by the defeat to Brazil, even though they are one of the biggest teams in the world. We faced a strong and outstanding team in the final match before the World Cup," he said.
