Former Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny will accompany Zamalek star Ahmed Sayed Zizo to represent Egypt during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The Pharaohs qualified as 2023 U-23 AFCON runner-ups and were placed in Group C alongside Spain, Uzbekistan, and the Dominican Republic.

Teams participating in the competition will be restricted to under-23 players (born on or after 1 January 2001) with a maximum of three overage players allowed.

Egypt U23 boss Rogerio Micale, winner of the gold medal with Brazil in 2016, have already chosen two overage players for the Paris trip, namely Mohamed Elneny and Ahmed Sayed Zizo.

Elneny is currently without a club after his contract with Arsenal expired just last month, but with 98 caps to his name, he will bring a vast of experience to a young Egypt squad.

This will mark Elneny’s second Olympic games, having played in the 2012 edition, when he guided Egypt to the quarter-finals before falling short to Japan. Meanwhile, Zizo, 28, has been a regular for the Pharaohs recently after starring for Zamalek, and will surely provide Micale with flexibility in the attacking area due to his versatility.

The third player is yet to be revealed after Mohamed Salah, Mahmoud Trezeguet, and Hamdi Fathi were denied to play in the Olympics by their clubs.

Micale was also keen on bringing Al Ahly duo Mohamed Abdelmonem and Emam Ashour, but the Reds turned down the opportunity because of their hectic schedule and their title push.

Pyramids FC have also taken the same stance as Al Ahly, revealing they won’t allow their players to join Micale’s team as they hope to win their first-ever league title.