Egypt goalkeeping coach Zaki Abdul-Fattah says that Essam Al-Hadari's inclusion is essential for the team even if the veteran keeper won't be first choice. Al-Hadari, 38, has been lacking regular first-team football lately after falling out with the board of his Sudanese club Merreikh, even so he has been recalled for next month's friendly with Brazil. “Even if the manager (Bob Bradley) does not intend to hand Al-Hadari a starting role against Brazil, his presence with the squad remains essential,” Abdul-Fattah told FilGoal.com. “He is a great goalkeeper and he will undoubtedly help the other keepers with his experience. We are also glad to have this number of good goalkeepers with the squad.” Abdul-Fattah's indications suggests that Bradley could be relying on Zamalek captain Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed in goal when Egypt tackle the Selecao in Qatar. In Van der Sar's footsteps Abdul-Fattah, who worked with USA number one Tim Howard for several years, believes that Al-Hadari still has three years until he decides to hang up his boots. “I think Al-Hadari can follow in the footsteps of Dutch great Edwin van der Sar and play until the age of 41,” he added. Al-Hadari, who has over 120 caps for Egypt, has been a key figure in the Pharaohs back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations titles in recent years.
