Ahly's long-serving goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy said on Sunday he would leave the club at the end of the season in search of regular first-team football.

The 36-year-old has played a bit-part role over the past three years, with his place taken by Mohamed El-Shennawi, who is also Egypt's first-choice shot-stopper.

"After a 23-year career as a youth and first-team player and as my contract approaches its end … I've taken a difficult decision," Ekramy said in a lengthy statement on his social media pages.

"By the end of this season, my role at my home comes to an end. I'll leave proud of what I've done and with my head held high, looking for a new challenge."

Ekramy said he had not yet settled on his next step, lavishing praise on Ahly's fans for standing by him.

The son of one of Ahly's great keepers in the 1970s and 80s, Ekramy has been one of the team's key players since re-joining his boyhood club in 2010 after unfruitful spells with Dutch side Feyenoord and Egyptian club Gouna.

He won with the Red Devils seven Egyptian league titles, two African Champions League crowns and one Confederation Cup among other minor accolades.

However, he was criticised on many occasions for a number of high-profile errors, which eventually allowed El-Shennawy, who joined Ahly in the summer of 2016, to overtake him.

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