CAIRO: Mohamed Shawky s regular place in Egypt s squad will not be affected by his lack of playing time at Middlesbrough, a technical staff member said. The defensive midfielder hasn t made any competitive appearance with English second-division side Middlesbrough so far this season. He fell out of favor with coach Gareth Southgate and is believed to be considering a new move in the January transfer window. Shawky will still be with the national team in the coming period, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FilGoal.com on Sunday. He will be part of (coach) Hassan Shehata s plans for next month s World Cup qualifier against Algeria. Shawky, who joined Middlesbrough from Egyptian champions Ahly in the summer of 2007, is a regular starter for the Pharaohs. He missed Egypt s 1-0 victory at Zambia earlier this month through suspension but should be available for the crunch meeting at home to Algeria. The six-time African champions need to beat Group C leaders Algeria by a three-goal margin to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1990. A victory by a two-goal margin will most likely set up a playoff meeting with the Desert Foxes, who haven t reached football s most prestigious event since 1986.
