Ahly goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy may be out for Egypt's opener Tuesday at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations against Mali, due to injury. "Ekramy has sustained a minor injury during trainings. Scans showed that he has a strain in his hamstring muscle. He will skip Sunday's trainings but will join Monday," head of the Egyptian delegation in Gabon Hazem El-Hawary told Ahram Sports on Sunday. Ekramy used to be Egypt's first-choice goalie before some shaky displays saw him fall down the pecking order under Argentinean coach Hector Cuper. The 33-year-old has made 12 international appearances since earning his first call-up in 2013, playing in five World Cup qualifiers and seven friendly games. Ekramy has given impressive performances with Ahly club recently but is likely to be Egypt's third-choice keeper at the Nations Cup, with veteran Essam El-Hadary and Zamalek's Ahmed El-Shennawi ahead of him. The Pharaohs arrived in Gabon Friday evening in a private jet to kick-off their bid for an eighth CON title, having won the cup a record seven times previously. After they play Mali on Tuesday, Egypt will take on Uganda 21 January and Ghana on the 25th, in the group stage. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)
