Shaker Was Excluded Due to High Fever and Waiting for Fayez Medical Results.. Leko: The Squad is Required to Boost Up Preseason Preparations as Aspirations are Set High
The head coach of Al Ain First Football Team, Ivan Leko, stated that his team did well in the fifth friendly match of the preseason away camp ended by winning Croatia’s Osijek FC by 4-0.
He pointed out: “The Boss squad scored great goals against the Croatian team. The players showed their genuine character and dominated the match with high level of confidence. They succeeded in implementing the tactics accurately and precisely. I do believe that we are in the right track.”
In response to a question on the reason for excluding Mohammed Shaker from the team lineup, he said: “The player had a throat ache and high fever at night, so we preferred to give him a break. He was not fit, and we do not take any risk. He is scheduled to take part in today’s team training session. Though he is not participating in the coming match, but I am so satisfied with his performance during the training sessions and the previous friendly matches he played.”
Commenting on Mohamed Fayez injury in the first half of the last match, he said: “I believe the worst thing happened in the match against Osijek FC was Mohammed Fayez injury.” He hailed Fayez strong charisma, high potentials, high-quality experience that made him an important player in the backline of the team.
“It is very difficult to determine how serious his injury is at the moment, but he will undergo medical tests this evening and we hope that his injury will not be serious. The team needs all the key players at present.”
Responding to a question on his assessment of the team’s performance during the past period, he pointed out: “During the past 21 days, things in the away camp in Austria and Slovenia are going as planned. All the squad are doing their best in the training sessions in preparation for the new season.” He commended the players performance and underlined that the players are required to redouble their efforts to achieve the aspirations and make the loyal fans happy.
