The Egypt coach criticized first-choice keeper Essam Al-Hadari, in addition to backup guardians Amir Abdul-Hamid and Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed.

"Al-Hadari conceded three goals with Sion in the last match, Amir was beaten by two goals against Petrojet that an amateur would have saved, and Abdul-Wahed is inconsistent with Zamalek," Shehata said in Al-Hayat TV.

"However, Al-Hadari remains to be the best of the worst.

"I hope the FA would prohibit clubs from signing foreign keepers in order to give a chance to young Egyptian keepers. This is better for the national team."

Wrong Step

Shehata admitted that he warned Al-Hadari from joining any club in Egypt other than Ahli, where he spent most of his career.

Al-Hadari, who left Ahli in notorious circumstances last year, was linked with the Egyptian champions' rivals Zamalek and Ismaili in recent months.

"I advised Al-Hadari only to join Ahli if he decided to return to Egypt. I think if he played for Zamalek or Ismaili it would be a wrong step in his career," Shehata said.

Zamalek Snub

The former Zamalek star revealed that he was approached by the fallen Cairo giants during former chairman Mamdouh Abbas' reign, but the latter's bid was unsuccessful.

"Mamdouh Abbas asked me if I could coach Zamalek with the national team, but I had to turn down the offer because it was difficult for me to do so," he said.

Shehata and Co. are currently preparing for next month's World Cup qualifiers clash with Zambia in Cairo.