Egypt U-23 national team coordinator Zaghloul Siam has stressed that Mohamed Salah is keen on playing in the Tokyo Olympics; however, the final word will be for his club, Liverpool.
Egypt is finalising preparation for the Tokyo Olympics as Shawky Gharib’s men qualified for the tournament after their U-23 AFCON triumph in 2019.
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The Pharaohs were placed in Group C, aka Group of Death, alongside European champions Spain, Argentina, and Australia.
Each nation has the right to add three overage players (over 23-years-old) to their squad and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has become, understandably, the coaching staff’s main target to be added on the list.
Despite his desire to play in Tokyo, Salah can’t do so without Liverpool’s approval, something which also applies to Galatasaray’s forward Mostafa Mohamed.
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Moreover, Shawky Gharib could travel without Al Ahly’s players due to the Reds’ participation in the CAF Champions League.
“The team is focused at the moment and all the players are preparing well for the tournament,” Siam said.
“Mohamed Salah expressed his desire for the Olympic national team staff to join the team in the Olympics, which is what Mostafa Mohamed did as well, but the clubs of the duo are the ones who determine their fate.
“Shawky Gharib has already set replacements for both Mohamed Salah and Mostafa Mohamed.
“He also set his plan regarding Al Ahly’s players in the team, especially since the Champions League final is on July 17, and the Olympic team will be in the bubble.
“There are 14 names of the overage players to choose from them three or less, including Mohamed El-Shennawy, Abou-Gabal, Ahmed Hegazi, Tarek Hamed, and Mohamed Salah,” he added.
