Egypt's national team coach has identified new Barcelona signing Hamza Abdelkarim as the player who could one day inherit Mohamed Salah's role as the country's football talisman.

The teenage forward has caught the attention of the Egypt coaching staff ahead of the FIFA World Cup, with the belief that he is ready to perform on the biggest stage the game has to offer.

Abdelkarim's move to Barcelona has raised his profile considerably, and those around the Egypt squad see his arrival at one of the world's most prestigious clubs as a sign of exceptional promise.

For Egypt, the question of who succeeds Salah has long loomed over the national team setup. The Liverpool star has been the Pharaohs' defining player for over a decade, and finding a long-term heir to that legacy is a priority for Egyptian football.

The coaching staff appear to believe that Abdelkarim — still a teenager — could be the answer. His development at Barcelona is expected to accelerate his readiness for international football at the highest level, and the FIFA World Cup is seen as an opportunity for him to begin announcing himself on the global stage.