Egypt's star winger Mohamed Salah may not fully recover from his shoulder injury ahead of the World Cup opener against Uruguay on 15 June. "Salah's morale is high and he is determined to recover as soon as possible. Great efforts are being made to make Salah fit before the Uruguay game, but let's be reasonable, he will most likely miss it," Egyptian Football Association (EFA) chairman Hani Abo Rida told local media on Wednesday. "Let's be fair. We want him ready for the second game," Abo Rida added. The 25-year-old Salah, who enjoyed a dream debut season with Liverpool, racking up 44 goals in all competitions, suffered a shoulder injury after being tackled by Real defender Sergio Ramos in the first half of the Champions League final on Saturday. Ramos has been heavily vilified by angry Egyptian fans who accused him of deliberately hurting Salah. "Salah is sad about what happened, but he is totally focused on recovery," Liverpool physiotherapist Ruben Pons told Spanish sports newspaper Marca. "In principle, [recovery will take] three to four weeks, but we will try shorten this period, that is the main goal," he asserted. Egypt will open their third ever World Cup campaign, and their first in 28 years, with a game against Uruguay, before meeting hosts Russia four days later. Egypt will conclude their group-stage campaign against Arab Gulf side Saudi Arabia on 25 June. Egypt qualified for the World Cup in October after Salah scored a 95th minute penalty shot, beating Congo 2-1. Salah was voted Player of the Year by the Football Writers Association this month, completing a sweep of England's individual prizes and becoming the first African player to win the prestigious award.
