Al Ahly boss Hussein Ammouta says Emam Ashour could return before international break

Al Ahly manager Hussein Ammouta says Emam Ashour could return to action before the next international break, but will need three or four friendly matches to regain his fitness and match rhythm.

Ashour missed training because of abdominal pain and was not involved in Al Ahly’s 1-0 Egyptian Premier League victory over Smouha on Thursday.

Yasser Ibrahim scored the only goal of the match, making his first appearance of the season after missing Al Ahly’s opening two games. His decisive contribution also earned him the award for player of the match.

Speaking at a news conference, Ammouta praised his side’s overall performance but admitted they had taken too long to find the breakthrough.

“We played a difficult match and the goal came late. The performance was good throughout the game, we had a lot of possession and created many chances, while not a single chance reached Mostafa Shobeir’s goal,” he said.

“We were only late in scoring, but collectively we were good.”

Ammouta said Al Ahly must improve their defensive work and become more efficient in front of goal, while also stressing the importance of having his entire squad available.

“We need to produce a strong defensive performance and make better use of our chances. We also need all the players to be ready, because any player could be involved,” he added.

Zizo started against Smouha, while Afsha was named among the substitutes after suffering a problem with his adductor muscle.

“Today, the players who were ready took part. That is why Zizo started, while Afsha was on the bench because he was suffering from an adductor problem,” said Ammouta.

The Al Ahly manager also felt his team were slow to settle mentally, although they eventually dominated proceedings.

“We must have attacking efficiency. We had complete control of the match after the first half-hour, but we were slow to enter the game mentally,” he said.

“We could have gone into half-time having scored one or two goals.”

Ammouta revealed that Al Ahly are planning additional friendly fixtures to help players build their fitness, including Ashour, Achraf Dari and Reda Slim.

“He missed training because he was suffering from abdominal pain, and he needs three or four friendly matches to regain his physical rhythm. It is possible to see him playing before the international break,” Ammouta said of Ashour.

“We are trying to play a friendly match after every competitive game to prepare the players, not only Emam but also Achraf Dari and Reda Slim.”

Al Ahly will face Tm FC, one of the Professional League clubs, in a friendly match on Friday.

The victory over Smouha was Al Ahly’s third consecutive win in the Egyptian Premier League. They began their campaign with a 3-2 victory over Eastern Company Enppi before beating Zed 2-0.

Al Ahly now have nine points, level with Pyramids at the top of the table. Smouha remain 17th with one point from a draw and a defeat.

The result also ended Al Ahly’s unwanted run of failing to win any of their opening three league matches in each of the previous two seasons.