The 23-year-old was named in Hassan Shehata's 24-man squad for the friendly versus Australia, along with club mate Mohamed Naguib.

"It was a huge surprise for me. I only knew about the news from FilGoal.com!" he said.

"My feelings cannot be described. I hope to repay the manager's faith by delivering on the pitch."

Meanwhile, Naguib, who earned his second straight call, was overjoyed with the inclusion of his defense partner in the Pharaohs roster.

"We've been working together for a while now and his inclusion adds to my delight at being selected," said Naguib.

"The manager's faith in me is invaluable. I wish to add something to the Egypt team."