Egypt U20 manager confirms Barcelona youngster’s absence for AFCON: ‘Unlikely’

Egypt U20 manager confirms Barcelona youngster’s absence for AFCON: ‘Unlikely’ Hamza Ablkarim was one of Barcelona’s least known summer signings, and the Egyptian striker ensured to leave a strong impression on the management as early as the first weeks of his arrival. Having made it clear that his profile is exactly what the team lacks, Hamza earned a place under Hansi Flick this summer. So far, his minutes for Barcelona have been extremely limited and the player is serving as a third-choice striker after Raphinha and Gabriel Jesus. His playing time and prominence, however, are expected to shoot up as the season nears its end. The international dilemma Hamza’s participation has been limited so far. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) As reported by SPORT in a recent update, Hamza’s International future is slowly beginning to be called into doubt as Egypt’s important breaks coincide with active weeks on Barcelona’s calendar. Speaking to the media earlier this week, Egypt under-20 team manager Ahmed Raouf publicly admitted that Hamaa is unlikely to be a part of his plans in the coming tournaments. “The participation of Hamza Abdelkarim in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is unlikely, but we aspire to count on him in the Youth World Cup,” the manager said. The 2027 edition of the U-20 AFCON will be held in the month of February when Barcelona will simply refuse to let go of the player. After all, that is the stage of the season where bench strength is tested the most. Meanwhile, the next U20 World Cup will also be held in 2027 but there is no information on the exact date. Hamza wants continuity The youngster wants continuity at Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) The same report also states that while Barcelona are against sending the player on international duty in September, even the player echoes that feeling. At this point, Hamza is focused on the club and wants continuity to earn his chance as a starter. Leaving at any point this season even for just international duty, in that sense, does not appeal to him. There is no doubt that the decision is harsh on the Egyptian youth setup who consider Hamza an integral part of their plans and even as a star player. From Barcelona’s perspective, however, the decision is understandable as they simply cannot risk their biggest star to injury and even voluntarily miss out on his services for a youth international event.