Egyptian midfielder Ahmed Hassan revealed that he is under a lot of pressure from Anderlecht officials to see out his contract and dismiss a return to the Egyptian League. Hassan, whose contract with the Belgian champions runs out next year, has announced he will end his nine-year spell in Europe and return to his homeland at the end of this season. He has been given the green light to open talks with Egyptian giants Ahli and Zamalek, but has not reached a deal with either side. But Anderlecht's officials are keen on keeping the Egyptian skipper who established himself as one of the major players in the team since joining at the start of this season. “I met with the club president who insisted it was the first time he sat with a player to listen to his demands in order to stay with the team,” Hassan told FilGoal.com in an exclusive interview on Thursday. “He was very generous and offered to meet all my requests to stay with Anderlecht. The diligent midfielder kept the door for a stay, telling Anderlecht president Roger Vanden Stock that he will take some more time before making a final decision.
Hassan is doing very well with the Belgian giants “I told Mr. Stock that I was happy playing with Anderlecht and that, for the time being, I want to concentrate on winning the league and cup titles. “I also told him that I could be encouraged to stay if we do win these titles, but if he wanted a final answer from me now, it would be that I will leave the club,” the 31-year-old said. The former Besiktas player said that winning the Belgian double this year will not be an easy task, but that he and his teammates are determined to do their best. “It's very hard to concentrate our efforts on two such important competitions at this critical point in the season. “We have an important league game against Cercle Brugge on Friday followed by the cup semi-final against Standard Liege on Tuesday. “This puts a lot of pressure on the players, both mentally and physically, but I'm sure we can cope,” Hassan added. Hassan has been nominated for the Ebony Award this season, which is given to the best player in the Belgian Jupiler League.
