Zamalek's injury-prone winger Mostafa Fathi joined Alexandrian side Smouha on a six-month loan deal on Saturday in a bid to rescue his stalled career.
The former Egypt international hasn't featured in any game since the beginning of the 2020/2021 season and requested a move away from the club in search of regular football.
Fathi was one of the brightest prospects in Egyptian football when he first rose to prominence in 2013. He was a key member of a promising Egypt generation at the time that also included the likes of Mahmoud "Trezeguet" Hassan, Ramadan Sobhi and Mahmoud Kahraba.
However, his career faltered due to a series of injuries. The 26-year old forward played a total of 159 matches, scoring 29 goals and providing 16 assists in over seven season since he made his Zamalek debut in 2013, with a modest average of 20 games per season in all competitions.
Fathi failed to settle in at the White Knights after returning from a season-long loan spell at Saudi side Al-Tawoun in 2017/2018.
He played eight games in 2018/2019 totaling 350 minutes and 20 games in 2019/2020 for 679 minutes before being entirely restricted to a bench role this term.
"I asked to leave to get more playing time, having been left out of the team recently. I will do my best to return to Zamalek and help the team," Fathi told local sports website Yallakora.
"I set myself a challenge of joining the Egyptian national team in the next training camp in March."
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