Egypt assistant coach Diaa El-Sayed announced Saturday that the national team door is still open for Zamalek striker Amr Zaki after being missing from the Pharaohs' squad in recent friendly matches.

Earlier this month, the Whites' veteran hitman, Zaki, vented his anger on Egypt's team coach Bob Bradley for statements to the effect that Zaki is not the best player to draft in the current stage.

"The door is still open for the return of Zaki," El-Sayed told Egypt's state-run news agency MENA Saturday, insisting that the technical staff only targets the most ready players.

"The technical staff only cares about the interest of the team. Personal differences don't come into the matter," he added.

Despite the fact that he hit out at Bradley last month for recent perceived snubs, Ahly's midfielder Mohamed Shawky was called up for the team's training camp in Alexandria ahead of the opening World Cup qualifier at home against Mozambique.

"We called Shawky to fill in for injured Ahly teammate Hossam Ashour and this is strong evidence that the technical staff is fair and not taking matters personally," explained El-Sayed.

Bradley recently called up England-based defender Adam El-Abd for the last camp in Sudan and El-Sayed is full of praise for the 27-year-old who currently plays for Brighton. "El-Abd is a good, experienced and strong player who will add a lot to our defence in the coming period," said El-Sayed.

The seven-time African champions are also preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) qualifiers, where they will take on Central African Republic in June.

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