Huge Mohamed Salah concern for Egypt! Liverpool icon a doubt for World Cup round of 32 tie vs Australia

As BBC Sport reports, Salah is a major injury doubt for Friday's World Cup round of 32 fixture against Australia. The Egypt captain had to be substituted during a 1-1 draw with Iran in their final group game. Team doctor Mohamed Abou revealed that Salah complained of pain during the match, and subsequent medical scans unfortunately confirmed a hamstring strain. The Egyptian Football Association have released a statement confirming that Salah has already started a rehabilitation programme. However, the governing body have not provided any guarantees about whether Salah will be fit enough to take the pitch on July 3, leaving supporters waiting anxiously for further updates.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan remains optimistic about the situation surrounding Salah. Following the physical encounter with Iran, Hassan addressed the media and shared a positive conversation he had with Salah regarding the issue.

Hassan said: "I spoke with Salah and, God willing, the injury doesn't seem serious. He assured me it would be fine, that it's not a serious injury." Egypt qualified from Group G in second place, in no small part thanks to Salah, who has scored one goal and provided two assists in the tournament so far. The coaching staff will be desperately hoping that Salah is correct in his own assessment and that the hamstring strain is indeed minor.

The current hamstring issue is particularly worrying for Egypt because Salah experienced a similar problem relatively recently. A notable hamstring problem kept Salah sidelined for three weeks starting from late April.

However, Salah demonstrated his impressive recovery capabilities by returning to full fitness in time to feature prominently in Liverpool's final two matches of the domestic season.

Egypt will be praying that Salah can produce a similar recovery miracle this time around. Given that Salah has scored an incredible 68 goals in 119 appearances for his national team, his presence on the pitch is absolutely vital if Egypt are to overcome a stubborn Australia side and progress further into the latter stages of the World Cup.

Egypt and their medical staff will closely monitor Salah over the coming days as he undergoes intensive treatment. The medical team face a race against time to get Salah ready for Friday's crucial encounter against Australia in Dallas. If Salah fails to pass a late fitness test, Hassan will have to quickly formulate a new tactical plan to keep their World Cup dreams alive.