"He'll get stuck in, has an eye for a pass, can score a few goals as well, although I'm not going to expect too much of him," Neil Warnock said of Fathi after the club's official announcement

"He's coming to the club at the right time. He'll be a good acquisition to the squad because we do need another midfielder."

The 22-year-old international, who can play either as a right-back or a wide midfielder, joins from Egyptian club Ismaili.

He became the third Egyptian to feature in the Premiership, following into the footsteps of Ahmed Hossam 'Mido' and Hossam Ghaly, both playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

Fathi made his first team debut in 2002 when he helped Ismaili win their third league title ever.

He was a prominent figure of the Egyptian youth team Under-20 who won the African Cup of Nations and played in the World Cup in 2003.

Fathi also helped The Pharaohs win their sixth African Cup of Nations in January 2006 on home soil.