Essam El-Hadary
Egypt veteran goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary has been ruled out of Tuesday's 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier return leg against Uganda due to injury.
The 44-year-old keeper sustained the injury after colliding with defender Ahmed Hegazi last Thursday against Uganda.
El-Hadary completed the game that ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Pharaohs.
Scans show that the four-time African champion has damaged his knee ligaments and won’t be available for Tuesday’s game.
He will have to undergo further exams to determine the length of his absence.
''We have called up Mohamed Awad and will start training sessions with the team starting from Friday,'' national team supervisor Ehab Leheta was quoted as saying on the Egyptian Football Association Facebook page on Friday.
Awad will be the third keeper in Egypt’s squad, after Ahmed El-Shennawi and Sherif Ekrami.
Egypt are in a must win situation to regain the top spot in the Group E as they slipped to second with six points, just behind surprise package Uganda who have seven points.
