Former Egypt coach gives his verdict on Percy Tau

Following reports that Mamelodi Sundowns’ approach to Al Ahly for Percy Tau could not bear fruit, former Egypt national team assistant coach Diaa El-Sayed has given his verdict on the Bafana Bafana attacker’s future in Cairo.

Tau’s future has been a subject of speculation since the departure of Pitso Mosimane from the Cairo giants.

The former Al Ahly star believes Tau could be an important player for Ahly should he stay injury-free but has reservations about whether the club’s coach Marcel Koller trusts him.

PERCY TAU IS A GOOD PLAYER

“Percy Tau is a good player, especially if he is not injured. We saw him in the Seattle [Sounders, an American professional side] game. He had a good game,” El-Sayed told FARPost.

“I hope he does play in the Real Madrid game [Wednesday, 8 February 2023 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat] because he can make a difference,.

“It’s a big game between Ahly and Madrid – Ahly are big in Africa and Madrid in Europe. I think Ahly deserve to play against such big clubs.

“There’s so much interest in this game – it’s really good for our African teams.

“Of course, Madrid have big name players, but Ahly also have the confidence to play in a competition as big as this, so they should be fine.”

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also hailed the capabilities of the former African champions ahead of the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup.

“Al Ahly have a great history, won many titles, have experience in these tournaments, have a good organisation, their players have speed, they have the same desire as ours, which is to lift the cup,” the Italian mentor said.

On Tau’s future, El-Sayed added: “I don’t think the coach has big trust in Percy Tau; I don’t think Percy Tau will stay long at Ahly.”

INJURIES HAVE BLIGHTED AHLY CAREER

Sundowns were eager to reunite with Tau, but Ahly were reportedly not keen to release the Bafana star.

The 28-year-old signed for the Red Devils in 2021, but injuries have blighted his stay at the Cairo side.

Meanwhile, Madrid will be without some of their stars who stayed behind in Spain due to injury.

“Thibaut Courtois, Militao and Karim Benzema are on the list and have stayed in Madrid to continue treatment, and if they are healthy, they will join us on Saturday.

“The stadium will be full of many Al Ahly fans, but there will also be our fans. I think they will enjoy the game a lot,” confirmed Ancelotti.

This will be Ahly’s eighth appearance in the semi-finals of the competition. Mosimane guided them to a bronze medal in the tournament’s last edition.

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