The Egyptian national team, notably featuring Salah, have been dealt a huge double injury blow ahead of their meeting with South Africa.
Mohamed Salah was the hero for Egypt on Monday as the Pharaohs kicked off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign with a 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe.
Despite an early setback, Manchester City's Omar Marmoush levelled the scoring in the second half. Salah struck late to complete Egypt's comeback.
His goal moved Egypt top of Group B with South Africa as the pair meet on Friday in their second game of the competition.
Ahead of their clash, Egypt's left-back Mohamed Hamdy and centre-forward Mostafa Mohamed have suffered from knocks and could be ruled out of the South Africa encounter.
Hamdy started the game against Zimbabwe and was brought off for Ahmed Fatouh with eight minutes left to play.
READ: AFCON 2025 Is Reminding the World What African Football Really Is
Mohamed, on the other hand, started on the bench. An early tactical switch, however, saw the Nantes forward make his introduction after 30 minutes.
The duo could likely miss out on Egypt's next game, but a potential return against Angola could be a possibility.
The Egyptian Football Association released a statement on social media confirming the extent of the injuries.
"The Egyptian national football team's doctor, Mohamed Abou El-Ela, revealed that medical scans confirmed that Mohamed Hamdy suffered bruises in his pelvic bones," the statement read.
"Tests also revealed that Mostafa Mohamed sustained an ankle contusion. These injuries came after their participation in the match against Zimbabwe.
"Abou El-Ela asserted that he is preparing the aforementioned players for the upcoming game against South Africa," they added.
The Pharaohs will now have to rely on either Osama Faisal or Salah Mohsen to start the next game upfront.
Meanwhile, Fatouh now seems to be the undisputed starting fullback option for Egypt on the left-hand side unless head coach Hossam Hassan opts to change the system on Friday.
