Egypt U23 head coach Shawky Gharib has explained why Mohamed Salah was left out of the Olympic squad, despite expressing his desire to play.
The Reds striker was believed to be keen on representing his country as one of the three overaged players at Olympics next month.
However, with the tournament finishing a week before the 2021/2022 Premier League season starts, Liverpool were unwilling to allow their talisman to leave for national duty.
As a result, the three overaged slots in the squad were taken up by Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy, Ahmed Hegazi and Mahmoud Hamdy El-Wensh
"All negotiations with Liverpool and Galatasaray have not been successful, as the two clubs want the two players with them in the coming period," Gharib told MBC Masr.
"The Turkish club signed Mostafa Mohamed in order to participate in European competitions, so it's their right to keep him. The same goes for Liverpool.
"Mohamed Salah had a strong desire to be with the Olympic team in Tokyo and also Mostafa Mohamed, but what happened was out of their control.
"I want to thank Saudi side Al Ittihad for agreeing to let Ahmed Hegazi come. As soon as we contacted them, they agreed immediately," he added.
