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With Hazard, Oscar, Willian and Fabregas, Salah looking to earn a place at Chelsea Mohamed Salah is expected to be a preferred choice for Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho next season, but off the bench
Mohamed Salah's pre-season form suggests that Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho is likely to rely on him to provide backup support for the Portuguese's preferred attacking midfielders in the new season. The Egyptian forward made a fine impact with the Blues after joining last January from Swiss side Basel, showing glimpses of his talent in the second half of the season. He made 16 appearances with Chelsea in all competitions, including 12 as a substitute. The 22-year-old scored twice in the Premier League and twice in the UEFA Champions League, but it remains difficult for him to overtake more established deep-lying forwards or wingers, including Brazilian duo Oscar and Willian, Belgium's Eden Hazard and Germany's Andre Schurrle. Reports suggested he might be loaned out in the close season but Mourinho fielded him in most of Chelsea's pre-season friendly games, giving him a chance to prove his worth in the absence of the regular attacking midfielders who had some time off following the World Cup. "I hope having pre-season with my team-mates will help me next season. We've done well so far, the training has been very good, intense and we are improving all the time," Salah said in an interview with Chelsea's official website. The Egyptian international did not disappoint, scoring twice in victories over England's Wimbeldon and Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem. His strike against Vitesse came after he linked up well with new arrival Diego Costa, enhancing his chances of playing more regularly next term. "I'm very happy to have scored two goals in pre-season so far, it's always good to score but the most important thing for me is to make sure I help the team win every game," Salah said. Salah also appeared to have improved his defensive capabilities, repeatedly drifting back to help the holding midfielders in closing down spaces. However, the profligacy that let him down last season remains evident before the new season gets underway. "In terms of myself, I don't usually like to set too many targets but I just want to improve as a player as much as I can and help my team-mates become successful," added Salah, who came through the youth ranks of Egypt's Arab Contractors. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/108328.aspx
