FIFA World Cup 2018: Mohamed Salah included in final Egypt squad

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah was included Monday in Egypt’s 2018 World Cup squad despite still underdoing treatment for a shoulder injury he suffered in the Champions League final, the Egyptian Football Association said.

Salah, who hit a stunning 44 goals for Liverpool last season in all competitions, was forced out of the final in tears last month clutching his left shoulder after being wrestled to the ground by Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

Salah has undergone treatment in Valencia, Spain, in the hope of playing a role in Egypt’s first appearance in the World Cup since 1990.

READ | FIFA World Cup 2018: Mohamed Salah looks to extend purple patch

On Wednesday, the federation had said Salah would be out for “not more” than three weeks, meaning he could miss Egypt’s opening World Cup Group A fixture against Uruguay on June 15.

Egypt then face Russia on June 19 and Saudi Arabia on June 25.

23-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Essam El Hadary (Al Taawoun/KSA), Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Sherif Ekramy (Al Ahly)

Defenders: Ahmed Fathi (Al Ahly), Saad Samir (Al Ahly), Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly), Ahmed Hegazi (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Ali Gabr (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Ahmed Elmohamady (Aston Villa/ENG), Mohamed Abdel-Shafi (Al Fateh/KSA), Omar Gaber (Los Angeles/USA), Mahmoud Hamdy (Zamalek)

Midfielders: Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal/ENG), Tarek Hamed (Zamalek), Sam Morsy (Wigan/ENG), Mahmoud Abdel Razek (Al Raed/KSA), Abdallah El Said (Al Ahly), Mahmoud Hassan (Kasimpasa/TUR), Ramadan Sobhi (Stoke City/ENG), Amr Warda (Atromitos/GRE), Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim (Al Ittihad/KSA)

Forwards: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/ENG), Marwan Mohsen (Al Ahly)

Bendtner misses out

Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner, injured in a Norwegian league game, did not make the country’s final 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia.

Bendtner, 30, hobbled off the field in tears on May 27 after hurting a thigh playing for Rosenborg.

Defender Andreas Bjelland, who plays for Brentford in the English Championship, also missed out because of an injury.

“They resumed training with the squad but we do not think they will be back in shape for the first game,” said coach Age Hareide, in a statement released by the Danish football federation.

Denmark open their World Cup against Peru in Saransk on June 16. They then face Australia before finishing their Group C campaign against one of the favourites, France.

“The match against Peru is very important,” Hareide said. “We are presumably going to be fighting for second place in the group and for that we need to have fit players.”

After a goalless draw away to Sweden on Saturday the Danes have one more warmup game against Mexico in Copenhagen on June 9.

Denmark’s final 23-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Frederik Ronnow (Brondby/DEN), Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield/ENG), Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City/ENG)

Defenders: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea/ENG), Henrik Dalsgaard (Brentford/ENG), Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER), Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese/ITA), Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich/ENG), Mathias Jorgensen (Huddersfield/ENG), Simon Kjaer (Sevilla/ESP)

Midfield: Christian Eriksen (Tottenham/ENG), Lasse Schoene (Ajax/NED), Lukas Lerager (Bordeaux/FRA), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Deportivo La Coruna/ESP), Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen/GER), William Vitved Kvist (FC Copenhagen/DEN)

Attackers: Andreas Cornelius (Atalanta/ITA), Kasper Dolberg (Ajax/NED), Martin Braithwaite (Bordeaux/DEN on loan from Middlesbrough/ENG), Nicolai Jorgensen (Feyenoord/NED), Pione Sisto (Celta Vigo/ESP), Viktor Fischer (FC Copenhagen/DEN), Yussuf Yurary Poulsen (RB Leipzig/GER)