Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has said that national team star Mohamed Salah plays "with freedom but with discipline", adding that he believes Salah will benefit from this approach at his future club after leaving English side Liverpool — on the eve of a decisive match against Iran in the third round of the first stage of the 2026 World Cup.
A draw will be enough for the Egyptian national team to secure their first-ever qualification to the knockout rounds, following their 3-1 victory over New Zealand, a match in which the captain scored a goal and provided an assist.
Hassan said: "The relationship with Mohamed Salah is built on mutual respect and trust. When a player believes in his coach and the coach believes in his player, there is conviction and respect."
He added: "The star has enormous experience and knows that the coach has a particular style, and there is respect and seriousness in dealings. There is also the psychological dimension — more than once during the qualifiers or the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Mohamed Salah faced difficult situations at his club, and every time he came back to us he returned in better shape, influencing the national team's results and goals."
Egypt's all-time top scorer continued: "We helped him regain a good condition. Salah is a very intelligent player and there is mutual benefit for the good of the national team. What has changed for him tactically is that I believe if he had stayed in Europe for a long time, no one would have deployed him in this new role."
Speaking about the player who excelled at Liverpool in the right-wing position, he said: "He has freedom but with discipline. Salah has benefited from this aspect, and it is something that will serve him at his new club in the near future."
On qualification calculations, he said: "My goal is to develop the team's performance and strive for positive results. At the same time, no one plays for just one goal. There must be balance, both in defence and in attack."
He continued: "At the same time, there is the approach we work on according to the opponent and the tactics they employ. Our goal is to achieve a positive result, but to maintain balance and discipline within the team and in our tactical style."