Salah-led Egypt squad received by President before heading to Russia

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday received superstar forward Mohamed Salah and the other members of the national football squad and its coaching staff before they head to Russia for the FIFA World Cup.

In a statement, the spokesman for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the head of state expressed concern about the shoulder injury Salah sustained in the UEFA Champions League final on May 26, reports Efe.

But the player for English Premier League club Liverpool assured him that he was recovering well, Bassam Radi said.

During the meeting, al-Sisi stressed how important it was for the team to demonstrate "discipline and good behaviour" as "representatives of Egypt's civilization", the statement said.

"I completely trust these children of Egypt and their will to achieve victory and hold high the name of Egypt. We all have to support the national team," the President said in a message posted on his official Facebook page.

Egypt are to travel in the coming days to Russia, where they are scheduled to debut on June 15 against Uruguay in the World Cup's Group A and play their second and third round-robin matches against Russia and Saudi Arabia, respectively.

Egypt's football federation on Monday unveiled the team's final 23-man roster for the World Cup.

That list includes Salah, who is trying to get fully healthy after sustaining a shoulder injury during the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid and being forced to exit the game in the first-half. Real Madrid went on to win 3-1.

--IANS

pur/nir