Hossam Hassan has explained why he left Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy out of Egypt's current camp for the two matches against Angola and South Sudan in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of Egypt's clash with Angola, set for tomorrow Friday at Cairo Stadium, the Egypt coach said: "There was a period when Mohamed El Shenawy was finished, and was not playing for his club, yet he returned to his level through the Egypt national team. It was not just him, but other players too."
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Hossam insisted the call was purely technical. "I could have said that I excluded El Shenawy because of injury, but these are my choices, whether he is injured or not," he said.
The former Al Ahly and Zamalek star added: "All respect to all the players, especially Mohamed El Shenawy, who is one of the leaders of the Egypt national team, and one of the players I value."
Group Two of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers features Egypt, Angola, Malawi and South Sudan.
Egypt face South Sudan in the second round of qualifying on Tuesday 29 September, travelling to the city of Juba.
A friendly against South Africa follows before the break ends, on Sunday 4 October at Cairo Stadium.