Mohamed Salah has been declared fit to face Russia in Egypt’s second game at the World Cup match by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), who confirmed he could have featured in the 1-0 defeat to Uruguay but was not risked.

Liverpool forward Salah recovered from the shoulder injury he sustained in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid just in time to be named to the roster for Egypt, with the attacker believing he would ready for the opener.

Egypt’s national team head coach Hector Cuper also declared his confidence Salah would feature against Uruguay, saying he could assure reporters that it was near “100 per cent” that he would play.

However, Salah was an unused substitute as Egypt were undone by a Jose Gimenez header in the 89th minute in Ekaterinburg, where Marwan Mohsen laboured on his own in attack for Cuper’s side.

After the match Cuper claimed while Salah would have a welcome addition, he did not want to take any risks with his star man and stated his belief Salah would feature in future contests.

With a crucial match up on Tuesday with tournament hosts Russia, the EFA has echoed their coach, saying Salah ready to feature and dismissed the notion he was not healthy for the loss against Uruguay.

“He was fit to play against Uruguay but the coach did not want to take the risk,” said the EFA.

Photos from Egypt training suggested Salah required the help of team-mates to put on a shirt, adding to the doubt surrounding the situation.

Teams are permitted to pick all 23 players in their match-day suad, so there is no disadvantage to Egypt naming Salah to the roster, even if he is not fit to play.

If he’s fit, Salah’s record-scoring prowess could prove key for Egypt as they face a Russia side who had no trouble finding the net in their opening match against Saudi Arabia, a 5-0 victory for the hosts.

With the Russia’s strong goal differential as a result of that match, the Pharaohs may well need all three points to keep them in contention for the knock-out stage of the tournament.