Egypt's Mo Salah will play at World Cup after shoulder injury treatment, minister pledges

Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah will likely take part in the upcoming World Cup, the country's sports minister has said, quelling fears a shoulder injury could bench him.

Khaled Abd Elaziz said in an online statement on Saturday that Salah should be back in form after two weeks of treatment.

"In simple language, the diagnosis shows an injury in the shoulder joint ligaments," Abd Elaziz said.

"The expected time for treatment is two weeks. God willing, Salah will be the final list of the Egyptian national team in the World Cup," he added.

A weeping Salah was forced off in the first half of the Champion League final on Saturday with a shoulder injury that foiled Liverpool's quest for a first continental success in 13 years.

Real Madrid won the match 3-1, sealing the Spanish team's third successive European title.

The injury left the World Cup hopes of the "Egyptian King" in jeopardy, with many fans on social media expressing fears he would be unfit to play.

Salah, who was the English Premier League's leading goalscorer this year, has earned himself a special place in the hearts of Egyptian football fans and among the Anfield faithful.

His late match-winning penalty for Egypt against the Congo last October secured World Cup qualification for Egypt for the first time since 1990.

A popular Saudi cleric has praised Salah for being a good representative of Islam in the West, pointing to the striker's practice of kneeling down on the pitch to thank God after scoring.