"This is very bad news," the Egypt captain said from Belgium as FilGoal.com informed him of the injury.

"Mido's experience and reputation were important for Egypt in the African Cup."

Middlesbrough striker Mido said earlier on Tuesday that tests showed that he suffers an inflammation in the adductor muscle and needs rest for 10 weeks.

The tournament starts on January 20th and ends on February 10th.

Egypt manager Hassan Shehata is now left with only three strikers with international experience as he seeks to retain the African title he won on home soil in 2006.

Hamburg forward Mohamed Zidan tops the list despite failing to appear in 2006 while Zamalek star Amr Zaki and Ahli man Emad Meteb are the most prominent figures in the local league.

Hassan says it is unlikely that Mido's absence paves the road for players with few caps to emerge in 2008.

Either Mahalla top scorer Ahmed Hassan or Tersana striker Ahmed Salama, both with no competitive caps, could fill Mido's void in the squad.

"Throwing new faces into the African fray would be difficult," the Anderlecht midfielder said.

"But I have full confidence in the players we have. They can do the job in Ghana."