Egypt coach Hector Cuper has called up Zamalek attacking midfielder Mostafa Fathi to the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Chad, substituting the Pharaohs star Mohamed Salah.

Salah has sustained a serious injury Sunday during Roma's Serie A 2-0 derby win over Lazio after an agressive foul by Lulic.

The 23-year-old played from the start before being stretched off on minute 58 after suffering a seemingly severe ankle injury.

Snapshot from the Roma-Lazio game when Mohamed Salah sustained his ankle injury

AS Roma has reported Monday that medical scans and examinations revealed "a grade II capsular-ligament injury on the outside of the ankle joint," which will need between four and six weeks of treatment.

The Egyptian national team are currently in an ongoing training camp ahead of their anticipated qualifiers against Chad on 14 at home and 17 November away.

While Egypt were given a bye based on their FIFA ranking, Chad scraped into the second round of the qualifiers on the away goal rule following a 2-2 aggregate draw with Sierra Leone.

The winners of the second-round games will be drawn into five four-team groups, with the leaders directly reaching the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.

Egypt's last appearance in the world's most prestigious football tournament was in 1990.

The 21-year-old Mostafa Fathi has been called up by Cuper once before mid June when he played 20 minutes against Tanzania in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Zamalek's Mostafa Fathi (Photo: Ahram)

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