Hector Cuper explains Mohamed Salah's absence vs Uruguay

Egypt manager Hector Cuper has indicated that he did not want to take risks with Mohamed Salah during the Pharaohs' close 1-0 defeat to Uruguay in their opening game of Group A.

Salah was only on the bench during the tight encounter and the match eventually ended in Uruguay's favour after a late goal from Jose Gimenez.

Following the game, Cuper highlighted that Salah will have an important role in the matches versus Saudi Arabia and hosts Russia and he did not want to take any risks playing him against the South American nation.

"Mo Salah is an important player for us but you need to have a good team, and we have a good team. Salah will have an important role for us in the future matches. We wanted to avoid risks in this match [with Salah], but I think he will be fine for the next game [against Russia]," he said.

Egypt are currently third in Group A after the close defeat but they can make amends on Tuesday when they take on Russia, who are leading the standings after a thumping 5-0 win over Saudi.