Mohamed Salah will headline Egypt’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations bid as manager Javier Aguirre named his 25-man preliminary squad for the tournament.
The hosts, seeking a record-extending eighth continental crown, kick off the event with the Group A opener against Zimbabwe on June 21 in Cairo, before facing DR Congo and Uganda. Egypt last staged the tournament in 2006.
Aguirre, the former Al Wahda manager, announced his initial squad on Tuesday, with few surprises. However, there was a recall for Ahmed Ali, who last represented his country eight years ago.
Ali, 33, is the leading scorer in this season’s Egyptian top flight with 18 goals for Arab Contractors. There was a return, too, for Al Ahly's Waleed Soliman, the 34-year-old midfielder who last played for Egypt in August 2016.
Aguirre's squad includes eight overseas-based players, chief among those Liverpool star Salah and Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny.
The team will gather in Borg El Arab from June 6, with warm-up matches against Tanzania and Guinea scheduled for June 13 and June 16 respectively.
