Salah optimistic he will play in Egypt's World Cup opener

Mohamed Salah is upbeat about his chances of playing in Egypt's opening World Cup match next Friday as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.

"Now, I'm better," the 24-year-old told Spanish daily Marca. "I hope to play against Uruguay, but that will depend on how I feel when it approaches."

Salah famously dislocated his shoulder in last month's Champions League final following a tussle with Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos. The pacy Liverpool forward left the pitch in tears, raising fears he would miss the World Cup altogether.

Salah, who began rehabilitating immediately after the 3-1 defeat to Madrid, admitted to feelings of "anger" and "sadness" and "a lot of worry."

He added: "I also thought about the possibility of not playing in the World Cup, and that was a devastating thought."

The Egyptian FA later cleared its headline attraction to participate in the country's first World Cup in 28 years, indicating Salah wouldn't need more than three weeks to recover.

That put Salah at risk of missing the opener against Uruguay, but in a better position to start against Russia and Saudi Arabia on June 19 and 25, respectively.

However, Salah could only laugh at Ramos' attempt to belittle the injury, after the controversial Spanish defender said Salah could've played through it with the help of an injection.

"My comment is that it's always OK when the one who made you cry first then makes you laugh," Salah said. "Maybe he could also tell me if I'm going to be ready for the World Cup?"