The Pharaohs' technical director, Hossam Hassan, announced the Egyptian national team's list for the first gathering under his leadership, this March, which witnessed the exclusion of captain Mohamed Salah.

Hassan said during a press conference: “The exclusion came at the request of Salah and his club because he believes it is better for him not to be present due to his not fully recovering from the injury.”

He added: “There was communication between the club and the Football Association, and no one can be included without his desire.”

He continued: "Salah is the captain of the national team, and his value is very great, and his presence with us will certainly add strength to the team. We wished for his presence, but we do not want to stand in his way of gradually returning to play with his club. This is the complete picture."

The exclusion came after Liverpool early last week sent an official letter to the Egyptian Football Association requesting that Salah be exempted from joining the national team due to lack of medical readiness.

Salah participated as a substitute in the last quarter-hour of his team’s match, on Thursday, against its Czech host Sparta Prague (5-1) in the first leg of the Europa League competition.

Since his injury in the second round of the group stage of the African Cup of Nations last January, Salah played only 47 minutes with Liverpool on February 17 against Brentford (4-1 in the Premier League), when he scored a goal with an assist, before he was absent again until Thursday’s match in... "Europa League".

The Egyptian national team is preparing to face New Zealand in the Emirates during the international break in March, and will play another friendly match against Tunisia or Croatia.

Hossam Hassan chose 25 players to join the Egyptian national team in the camp, which witnessed a number of new faces such as Al-Ahly goalkeeper Mustafa Schubert, Al-Masry striker Mohamed Al-Shami, and Modern Future striker Ahmed Atef, while Mohamed Awad returned to the national team list after a long absence.