Egypt midfielder Mohamed El-Neny exceeded his own expectations in his first few weeks at Basel but believes he needs to adapt to the snowy conditions in Switzerland.

El-Neny joined his compatriot Mohamed Salah at Basel last month, penning a six-month loan deal with the Swiss outfit.

“My spell is going so well so far, better than what I had expected when I came here,” El-Neny, who joined from Egyptian Premier League side Arab Contractors, said in an interview with CNN Arabic on Wednesday.

“I took part in matches immediately after arriving, and that shows the club’s technical staff has faith in my abilities.”

El-Neny made his competitive debut in Basel’s 3-0 league win over Sion on 10 February.

He also took part in their 2-0 victory over Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the Europa League but sat on the bench during their 2-1 league win over Lausanne Sport last Sunday.

El-Neny, however, said he will need to adapt to the snowy conditions, which he described as the toughest challenge he faces.

“Playing in the snow is the most difficult problem I’m having. It’s very difficult because I’m not used to that, but I will adapt to that step by step,” El-Neny added.

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