Former Pharaohs boss Hassan Shehata has launched a stinging attack on Mohamed Salah, claiming that the Liverpool superstar has "done nothing" for his national team despite his iconic status at Anfield.
There's little doubt that Salah is Egypt's most well-known sports star, earning several honours with the Reds during his five years at the club.
Yet Shehata has accused him of not doing enough for the Egypt national team.
According to Shehata, who himself powered Egypt to a hat-trick of Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) trophies during his tenure as manager from 2004 to 2011, Salah has underperformed and has failed to inspire his teammates to achieve success in the international arena.
"Technically, and I’m sorry to say this, but Mohamed Salah [has done] nothing with the national team. He should have done much better than that. He must provide more when he plays for his country," Shehata told the Egypt Independent, an online newspaper.
"He should have said this to the officials here, although he is not the one who chooses the players, but he should have said that the players here are not like the players in England. Therefore, the coaches have to find a way to open the space for Salah. We must find players to help him appear properly in the pitch," Shehata added.
While Shehata's remarks may have not been well-received among Salah's legion of fans, the 74-year-old former footballer appears to have been somewhat correct in his assessment.
Salah has yet to win the Afcon title for his country. This year he suffered yet another heartbreak in the tournament as Egypt lost to Senegal in the final.
Egypt subsequently failed to qualify for this year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar.